Everything and Nothing
by QuasiOuster
Summary: AU Tag to Dominion.  A what if story where things didn't exactly go according to plan.
1. Not Part of the Plan

Author's note: I don't own anything or anybody, I swear. This is my first Stargate story that I've been tinkering with (along with a few others) for months. I figured I had tinkered enough and it's time to sink or swim. A big thanks to all of you D&V writers who entertain and inspire me. Forgive my mistakes-I'm charging ahead with no beta at the moment. No text editor either in uploading so hopefully this won't be one big block of text-if it looks crazy, I'll repost when I can scrounge up access to another computer. I hope you enjoy the story. QO

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**Chapter One: Not Part of the Plan**

Daniel couldn't believe they had been so close.

According to their source, Vala had just left the tavern when Adria showed up, having won a ship from their most seasoned gambler. They had suspected her of cheating (and they were probably right) but could find no evidence of it so they had let her go. Not five minutes later, a beautiful young woman with strange powers had come looking for her "mother." She became very angry upon learning that Vala had so recently left but was able to forcefully extract Vala's "story" from a bar patron in whom Vala had drunkenly confided the night before. Vala had even revealed the information of the planet to which they wanted to lure her and Adria. Choosing the treasures of the Clava Thessara Infinitas over the domination of her mother, Adria had pursued the lead and gotten caught in their trap.

Seeing Adria walk through that stargate had elicited an enormous feeling of triumph at outsmarting her. But that rush was quickly replaced with panic at seeing her without Vala in tow. Now Vala could be anywhere in the galaxy. And it was an awfully big galaxy for a woman of her unique talents. In the end, her plan had worked too well.

Dammit, they should have told her no, that it was too dangerous; that she was too valuable to risk; that they would find another way to gain the advantage in the war with the Ori. He knew logically that none of that would have deterred her from "doing her part" as she put it, but hindsight didn't now matter when she was gone and they didn't know when they would see her again. Or if they would see her again.

On the one hand, he desperately wanted her back. Not a second went by that he hadn't wished their scheme had gone according to plan and that she was back home and ribbing him about the silly video recording he had made of her. He wanted her to bug him about working too hard and then beg him to take her to dinner. He wanted her endless chatter distracting him from his translations as she did random errands and tasks as his assistant. He wanted her funny encounters with the crew to get back to him so that he could play the mild exasperation card while secretly delighting in the life she brought to the base. He wanted her…he just wanted her.

But on the other hand, he was glad that she wasn't around to see what had transpired in the last 24 hours. To see Adria captured and then taken from them by Ba'al. To see her own child, even though she denied it, turned into the very thing that had ruined her life haunted her no matter how much she tried to put it behind her. To watch Adria undergo the very procedure that had freed her yet led to the most unimaginable pain and torture she had ever experienced. And finally to see her flesh and blood dying before realizing the danger Adria posed with her ascension. He didn't want that for her.

He could just imagine how things would have gone if she were there. On an ordinary day, she had a flare for the dramatic. But that day, her exit would be more about wrestling the very real demons that she carried but never shared. They'd all wonder whether she was more bothered by the memories of how her own symbiote was extracted or by the nagging feelings of love and maternal concern that kept her from the callousness she so desperately wanted to present when it came to Adria.

He'd follow her of course, and they'd do the dance to which they'd become so accustomed over the last couple of years. She'd pretend to put on her brave face and make light of things. He'd play the caring friend and colleague who believed in her, not showing that he cared too much lest she suspect how far gone he was when it came to her. Then she'd look at him with those big, trusting eyes, revealing herself in a way that she reserved only for him. He felt scared by the gaze for the effect it had on him. But he also felt privileged to know that no one could see her the way that he did. He couldn't have imagined feeling that way again after losing so many people in his life. Hell, he had denied it for as long as his logical brain would allow.

Knowing that she was out there somewhere, hating him while he pined for her so desperately was too much for him. They simply had to find her because without her, he would slowly go insane for missing her, quirks and all. And that, he reluctantly admitted, was love. Daniel sighed with the realization and a fresh wave of emotion took over his senses.

"So you finally figured it out?" Sam asked with a soft, knowing smirk on her face.

Daniel started, having temporarily forgotten that she had joined him in his office for a coffee break. He grinned and ducked his head as a dull blush shaded his cheeks. "Well, you know how long it takes me to get the picture when it comes to these things."

Sam's smirk straightened out in mock seriousness. "Of course Daniel," she replied, knowing exactly how her friend tended to handle his emotional entanglements. She sighed into her coffee and leaned back in her chair. "Better late then never though, right?" The words were out of her mouth before she could consider their implication.

But it was too late. Daniel's grin turned sour, his worry returning along with his furrowed brow. "Maybe not in this case." He put his now empty mug down and walked purposelessly to the other side of the table.

"Daniel—" Sam began but he held his hand up to stop her all-too-familiar flow of words. He grabbed his empty mug and walked towards the mess to refill his cup and get a little space from his most recent thoughts. Sam let out another sigh and silently berated herself for turning the tide on their otherwise lovely coffee break. In the past few days, seeing instances of Daniel doing anything other than worrying about Vala were too few and far between.

Daniel kept his head down as he walked quickly down the hall, deterring anyone from engaging him in conversation. Not that anyone would. They all knew that the elusive doctor was particularly ill-mannered since Vala had been gone.

Daniel had known what Sam was going to say. He had heard it from dozens of people in a thousand different ways. _'Don't worry Daniel. We'll find her,' or 'Jackson, we'll get her back; she'll be alright.'_ How was she supposed to be alright when she wasn't with him; when she thought that they had all betrayed her—that had had betrayed her?

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Vala awoke in a cold sweat and with labored breath as the last images of her recurring dream seeped into the quiet depths of space. It was the same thing as the other nights. Well, it was the same thing from those nights when she allowed herself to dream. Otherwise, it was just the darkness and the blessed numbness that she was growing accustomed to once again.

She didn't want to think of "them," to dream of "them," but somehow, they always found their way into her head. They would laugh with her and play with her like she had really been part of the team. And then the laughter turned dark and the play turned cruel. She was the outcast again and they were throwing her aside. Even him…especially him.

His presence in her mind was the worst. She hated him for what he had done to her. She hated him more for having made her love him first. But in the end, none of it mattered so she tried to force herself to let it go.

It was all so strange. She was clear about everything that had happened with her former SGC colleagues 3 days ago. But she just couldn't understand how she had gotten to this point. She chalked it up to being so deeply hurt by their behavior but then quickly quashed her urge to wax sentimental about their betrayal of her. Cold and unfeeling was the only way to go from here on out. If she had stuck to that motto, she wouldn't be in this awful mess.

But still, the details nagged at her. Why would she leave without taking anything with her? There was no way that she could ever return to Earth or to the SGC so why leave her most cherished possessions where they could steal them and lock them up forever? Even in her most desperate days, she would always take her treasure box. She never traveled without having certain access to it.

And why did she make her way to that particular commerce planet to get herself back on her feet? With the Tau'ri so hot on her trail no doubt, it was ludicrous to spend so much time on a commerce planet so close to their dealings. And that particular tavern? Well, it was known for its vicious gamblers who were almost impossible to cheat. She had stayed away to avoid trouble and for good reason. Thank the false gods she had spent her obligatory sulking period reinforcing that new coat she had acquired. Otherwise, well, she didn't want to imagine what would have happened to her. Besides, she had had a bad feeling about staying in that place too long. She wouldn't have been surprised to hear about some other-worldly evil befalling the usually resilient establishment.

She sighed as she stepped out of bed and yet again grabbed the bottle of liquor that she now constantly kept in her bag. She took a deep swig, hoping that the intoxicating effect would help her get back to sleep. She needed her rest if she was going to unload this cargo ship with the traders she had been in contact with. She was sure the owner she had swindled the ship from would be looking for her and she wanted to be long gone. Besides, with both the Taur'i and the Ori, thanks to her evil daughter, looking out for her, she needed to lay low and keep running. No matter what happened in her life, she was always good at that. She smiled bitterly thinking about how easily she could slip back into the unsavory role of thief and con artist for which she was obviously meant.

"To the life that suits you…" Vala mumbled and raised her bottle in mock salute to her former friends at the SGC who had so easily thrown her to the wolves. She tried to muster up enough anger to sustain an obsession over their betrayal but all she could feel was sadness, longing and then the numbness that she had craved all along.

_To be continued…_

**Reviews are welcome and appreciated. **


	2. Memories on Rewind

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for the feedback to everyone who has sent in a review. I'm very interested in what you're responding to and how I can make the story better/more interesting. Don't worry, there will be more action and movement in chapters to come. I just wanted to set things up in these first couple of chapters. I hope you all like it. **

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**Chapter Two: Memories on Rewind**

Daniel sat in his office and watched the video again. He couldn't accurately remember the number of times he had replayed the scene. He tried to notice something different every time—a flip of her hair, a smile, a flirty gesture. It made him even sadder that this was the only way he could be close to her right now.

Despite his despondency, he couldn't help but smile every time he thought of the day they had made that recording. She had been so excited to try out the new technology that would allow her to see herself in full color on a big screen—well, a big screen that didn't involve surveillance video from some caper gone wrong. During their test runs, she had even sung him a little tune to commemorate the occasion—and he had tried to cover his awe at her lovely singing voice. That's his Vala—always full of surprises.

On the first take, they had gotten her message to herself done even though she had fooled around at the beginning and was up to her usual hijinks at the end with a few digs at him stuck in between as usual.

But it was after the message, when they had thought they'd turned off the camera that caught most of his attention. They had sat across from each other going over the plan—well, he was going over the plan for the fiftieth time and she was reassuring him that he was being silly and that everything was going to go swimmingly. If they ever got her back, he was going to call her on that for sure.

'_Vala, this isn't a joke! You've got to make sure that everything is just right.'_

'_Daniel, stop being such a—what is it that Mitchell calls you—a worry wart? I've been around the galaxy a few times and then some. I think I know how to take care of myself.'_

'_Yeah, we all know how well you tend to 'take care of yourself.' _

_She glowered playfully at him and shrugged at his assessment. She continued to twirl a tendril of her hair around her index finger and concentrated on poking around at the artifact sitting on his desk. All Daniel could do in response was stare at her while she prattled on about her adventures on this planet or her exploits with that colony. After a few moments, he finally broke the gaze that had been tracking her and skillfully snatched the artifact from Vala's curious hands, taking care to graze her fingers with his. _

Daniel remembered what he had been thinking at that moment. He was thinking of telling her how he didn't want her risking her life no matter how desperate their situation or how full-proof her plan. He was wishing he could tell her to stay so that he could hold her and never let her go. But he hadn't been ready. Coward. Now who knows if he would ever have the chance.

But he couldn't dwell on those thoughts. Even though he didn't want to hear the pitying words of assurance from his friends and colleagues, he did believe that they would get her back and that she would be alright. She was a survivor, always would be. The question was would it be too late to make things right with her. Would she be so damaged from her time away from them that it all would be lost?

He stared at the images on the screen again, watching himself from the previous week dodge her playful flirtations. He had gotten used to it without even knowing it and loved her all the more for the warmth that it brought him.

'_If you're so worried about all of this, we could always hook you up to that memory thing-a-ma-jig and you could come with me,' she suggested, smiling brightly and hopefully. 'I'm sure between the two of us we could come up with some fitting and exciting scenario that would explain things.' She turned to him with a mischievous gleam in her eye. 'We could tell Adria we were on our honeymoon or that we'd run off from your disapproving government to be together and indulge in our lustful—' _

'—_I don't think so,' Daniel said quickly. 'Besides, this is your hero quest. I've already put in my time this year.'_

'_How could I forget, darling? I cried my eyes out for weeks over your stupid heroics. Then come to find out that you and Merlin were out there having Ori sex with my daughter. Imagine! Well, I don't have to ask you to imagine do I since you were there.' Her words were coupled with a teasing grin that he had come to recognize as Vala-at-play. _

She had ribbed him plenty of times about his time away but he knew that it was because she had been genuinely worried about him. When he had returned with his crazy plan to destroy the Ori, she had been right about one thing—no one else could understand how dangerous the situation with Adria was except for her. He had explained to her what had happened while he was onboard the Ori ship and Vala had understood as usual. But that didn't mean that she wasn't going to give him a hard time about it as long as it remained a point of humor for them. He turned his attention back to the screen now knowing this scene by heart.

'_Eww. You know, I really wish you'd stop saying that because it sounds ickier every time you bring it up. Neither I, nor Merlin, had Ori sex with Adria.' Daniel sputtered with exasperation, shuddering in disgust at the thought. But his irritated frown grew into the playful smirk that always brought a smile to her face. 'Besides, you started it, all sacrificing yourself at that Ori beachhead and then had the nerve to come back with a husband. You know, I saw the tape-as creepy as it was to see you inside me.' _

_Vala raised an eyebrow at the innuendo. _

'_Anywho,' he said ignoring her, 'you completely admitted to having Ori sex, understandably so, but you know, people that live in glass houses…' he said, waving his hands dismissively. _

'_Oh no, don't you dare turn this around on me using one of your silly Earth sayings. No Ori sex? Could have fooled me! Adria was quite hot to get her hands on you and how else could you have convinced her to trust you? You ARE only a man after all, even if you are a brilliant and ridiculously adorable one.'_

'_Thank you. But I'm sure you have considered that she was just trying to push your buttons. She knew that you had an…"affection" for me. You know about little girls and their mommy issues,' he said jokingly. _

'_I do. But I also know about little boys and their, well, their little boy issues,' she replied, smirking beautifully. 'I can't imagine you on that ship with a beautiful woman, if I do say so myself—'_

'—_that she, of course, gets from her mother,' he added, playing along. _

'_No doubt. But you're on a ship with a beautiful woman who wants to have her wicked Ori way with you. And being all manly and chivalrous, you don't even take the teensiest taste of that?' She seemed to never tire of heckling him. _

_But lately, he also loved turning the tides on her. 'Well, you of all people should know how good I am at resisting the advances of dark-haired vixens bent on their own agenda.' He thought back to their first few encounters with each other and how no matter how much she screwed him over in the worst of ways, he always seemed to come back for more._

'_Mmm,' she replied enigmatically, seemingly lost in her own memories. 'But even if you don't break, you sure do bend beautifully, my Daniel.' _

_He secretly lived for when she called him that. He would usually roll his eyes and go about his business but today with her embarking on one of the most risky missions, ever, he just wanted to savor everything about her that he delighted in. 'Only for the right dark-haired vixen,' he replied softly looking into her stormy gray eyes. _

_She turned her attention fully on him and he simply continued to smile at her. 'Forget about Adria for a second.' She didn't say anything, just stared into his suddenly earnest blue eyes. 'You be careful out there, okay? In a few hours, you won't remember any of this but you have a life and a home here. I know you're about to believe that me and the rest of the team are the scum of the earth. But I'm hoping that even out there, when you're all alone, some part of your mind will know the truth—that we're all family and we want you to find your way back home to us…to me.' He looked away shyly as if he had revealed too much. He stumbled over his words awkwardly giving her a shy smile in the process. 'Even though it's just back to my dusty office and my grumpy disposition.'_

_Vala beamed at him and his heart melted. 'Daniel, I will always want to find my way back to you. Never forget that…even if I do.' _

That had been as close to an admission as they were capable of and now it didn't seem like far enough. Even in the grainy images on the screen, Daniel could see their expressions soften in understanding. He remembered watching her in real life, emotions vivid and in full-color. Her gaze held promise and love and trust, everything he realized he wanted from her.

He had wanted to do so much more; the urge to take her in his arms had been almost overwhelming but he had stupidly held back. Their timing had been off and now she was gone, potentially forever. But he still held out hope about that part of her that would remember his words. Hopefully, that part of her would bring her home. Back here with him and his dusty office and grumpy disposition that now couldn't bear to be without her.

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'_...we're all family and we want you to find your way back home to us…to me.' _

'_Daniel, I will always want to find my way back to you. Never forget that…even if I do.'_

_She looked deep into his eyes and before she could register his actions, he had drifted around to her side of the table and taken her into his arms. He reached up and stroked her cheek with his thumb, showing those adorable dimples of his as he grinned down at her. Unable to hold out any longer, she pulled herself up and captured his lips with hers. _

_Her heart skipped as she felt him return her kiss, one hand running down her back while the other swept through her hair. She clutched the front of his shirt in an attempt to hold on to him and never let go. When she finally released his mouth, she shivered at his rough breathing against her cheek. But she only had seconds to recover as he dove in for another passion-filled kiss and continued to explore her body with his embrace. _

_After long moments of devouring each other, feeding off of the built up passion they had been denying themselves over the past months, they finally let go although they didn't wander far from each other's personal space. 'Daniel-' Vala began, trying to find the right words to express what she was feeling. _

'_-ssshhh,' he responded, cutting her off by placing a finger gently on her lips and tracing the smile that had formed there. His words were rushing out with urgency and excitement. 'I don't want to deny it anymore, not when after tomorrow anything could happen.' She opened her mouth to protest his cynicism but was stopped again by his finger against her lips. 'Let's just…' He kissed her lightly on her shoulder. '…feel.' He kissed her neck and brought both hands to cradle her face before playfully nipping at her bottom lip. He guided her to the corner where his "comfy chair" was located, and she felt as if she were in a dream when…'_

Vala yet again woke with a start, face flushed and with laboring breath as the very stimulating dream left the front part of her consciousness.

The dream quickly faded leaving the lingering feeling of love and desire that used to constantly surface only when one person was around. Her Daniel. No, not hers, not anymore. That was all in the past. She was done with it and it was time to move on. But if only her dreams would let her.

This dream was almost worse than the others because with the others, waking up with the pain of their betrayal so fresh only gave her more motivation to make something new of her life, somewhere far away from them. But the emotions that this dream let surface just depressed her. There was no more room in her life for the hope and acceptance that such dreams fostered.

She reached for her newly-acquired flask kept handily by the bed in the flea-bag inn she was currently occupying. When she realized the significance of her thoughts, specifically her vocabulary, she twisted the top off in disgust. She needed to shed every last hint of the Tau'ri from her existence, including their stupid sayings picked up mostly from that no-good coward Mitchell. She swallowed long and hard, trying to let the alcohol erase thoughts of her former team leader and the warm memories of spending time at his home with his mother and her delicious pie.

"He's not worth it. None of them are," she said to the empty room, throwing a dingy pillow across the room. She was laying low for a few days having just made quite a sweet profit for the cargo ship she had so recently acquired. She had thought about selling her "personal cloaking device" as well but reasoned it might come in handy in an emergency. Plus, knowing what she did about the ill effects, she didn't think it was fair to pawn it off on some poor, hapless/greedy trader. Unlike Mitchell and his team of traitors, she had some sense of common decency. Why they had left such a device so easily accessible was beyond her. In fact, she could have sworn that all of those devices were shipped out to Area 51. But obviously she was wrong about that. Somebody must have mentioned its location when she was only half listening and probably distracted with teasing Daniel during those boring briefing sessions.

No matter about the details of how she made her brilliant escape. In a few days she would buy a ride to an outpost a few sectors away and see what kind of transactions she could cook up. Things were tight with the Lucian Alliance and the Ori creeping around, not to mention SGC hot on her trail. But there were still deals to be had. And like it or not, her time with the Tau'ri had provided her with useful resources that would aid in her getting back on her feet. Stupid SG-1 never appreciated her talents but damned if they were the only thing she had ever been able to rely on in her life. They had never failed her, unlike the fleeting loyalty of her former teammates. To Hell with them.

But the alcohol couldn't block out the tightness in her stomach about how things had gone that day. Her confidence never waned and she was able to fall right back in line with bartering, fighting, flirting, and sweet-talking her way into a good price for the cargo ship. The currency, supplies and connections she had acquired would sustain her for quite some time. It had taken a lot out of her though. Instead of her usual M.O. of exploring the more enjoyable activities of the town she temporarily called home, she had gone to her shabby room and fallen right to sleep.

She had only dealt with those particular traders once or twice before but they were no match for her skills. And for some odd reason, that didn't sit well with her either. The truth was she could have gotten a significant amount more out of them; she knew they had been willing to go higher. But she didn't want to completely take them for a ride over this deal and settled on a fairer price for both of them. She had to think about future deals with them, of course. She told herself repeatedly that it had nothing to do with doing the right thing but was more about not jeopardizing potential future endeavors with some half-witted scam.

She walked to the grungy window overlooking the alley behind the inn. Watching the unsavory stragglers from the evening before passed out in the corners, she couldn't wait to get out of this God forsaken sector and start her new and improved life. A life without too-smart-for-their-own-good girlfriends who take you shopping and then mock your every word when you try to help. A life without supposedly honorable friends who remain stoically silent while the Tau'ri conspired to lock her away forever. Without pseudo father figures abandoning her just like Jacek. And definitely a life without the fake earnestness and constant rejection of a man who could never appreciate or stand by her. A life that only she could control. She wanted to forget everything about the last two years of her life and pick up where she left off before she had stumbled upon the Prometheus. Who said there was no going back?

But in the back of her mind, the dream that had awoken her still lingered despite her angry dismissals of her former friends. She knew it was all just lies created in the part of her mind struggling to move on but something about the words she had heard wouldn't let her go.

'_...we're all family and we want you to find your way back home to us…to me.' _

She laughed bitterly and took another long drink. She must have been dreaming if those words had ever left Daniel's mouth. But her shaky grasp on the flask showed how unnerved the dream had made her. She wasn't stupid enough to think that she had fully forgotten about her past comrades so easily but her fixation on them, her obsession with their betrayal and the way they had hurt her-especially the way it plagued her during the night-was starting to become worrisome.

'_Daniel, I will always want to find my way back to you. Never forget that…even if I do._

Her voice uttering those words seemed so far away; distant the way that dreams always felt in the light of day. And Vala treated the phrase as just that-dreams of emotions forsaken, never to be realized ever again. She turned from the window and packed her bags eager to get an early start off this world. With any luck, she could leave the memories that haunted her behind as well.

_To be continued…_

**Review if you can. Your input is most welcome. **


	3. Deceptive Treats

**It's definitely been too long. I hope everyone enjoys the update and thanks again for all of the feedback. **

**I'm also sending lots of love out there for all of you writers that continue to create such wonderful stories. **

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**Chapter Three: Deceptive Treats**

Vala hadn't been able to get back to sleep after her most recent rude awakening so she packed her meager belongings and decided to get an early start to the rendezvous point with her contacts. She had planned to stay put until the following afternoon since the heat appeared to be off for the moment. She really did need to slow down and get some rest while she could. But if she wasn't even able to get back to sleep, there was no point in hanging around. It was time to go.

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Daniel gazed around the non-descript planet that hopefully would lead them to their teammate. His brow furrowed at what he saw in the distance-a dusty town that looked as if it had never seen better years. Walking towards the town center, they noticed the many signs of a depression-transient gamblers hovering in the shadowed nooks and crannies of the town; creaking equipment carrying sorry-looking wares to an even sorrier looking marketplace. He turned to his right and saw the frown creasing Sam's face and the stern look that Teal'c was giving their surroundings. It wasn't lost on anyone how dire their situation was, nor how it important it was that their mission was successful.

They had their instructions: proceed to the targeted location, meet their contact, find Vala and drag her back kicking and screaming if they had to. At this point, everyone was thoroughly sorry they had listened to her plan, as good as it had been and as reluctantly "successful" as it had turned out in a way. Of course, in the end, none of it mattered much since Adria technically got away, thanks to Ba'al and his meddling and Vala was out there somewhere. Daniel was driving himself crazy not knowing if she was safe or if she missed them, even through all the hate and disappointment she inevitably felt. Did she even think about them? Was she warm…was she too warm? Was she alone? He didn't even want to consider the idea that she was not alone. It hurt and scared him to think of such things.

They had just received word from an innkeeper on one of the planets located in the outer cluster of Vala's drop-off point. And she was here. Or at least she had been 2 hours before when they received the news of her location. Apparently, she had recently conducted some sort of transaction at the town's trading center and had settled in for the time being. As soon as the call came in, Mitchell ran down to grab Daniel so that they could go pick up "our girl." Daniel had been overjoyed at the breakthrough, if not a little irritated at Mitchell for referring to Vala as "our girl." Although she didn't quite know the full extent of it yet, she was "his" girl, no one else's. And he belonged to her in so many ways that made getting her back one of the most important tasks he had ever pursued. At the end of this insane situation, he would make damn sure to let her know too.

She had thought of everything. She had given them names of the most likely trading partners, locations of her most reliable and trusted contacts. She told them who to talk to and who to trust when it came to tracking someone like her down. They had contacted some key players in advance, mostly harmless, everyday people Vala had come across in her travels, who wouldn't mind playing along with what they thought was another one of the space pirate's crazy schemes. She even told them that she was going deep undercover and that she may have to pretend that she didn't know them. But her allies knew that if she came around, they were to contact the appropriate people as soon as possible.

Vala had done the best she could to predict the moves that she might make if forced to fend for herself and to give her friends a way to find her if things didn't go as planned-a common scenario when it came to SG-1. The team had been impressed but a little frightened by her survival instincts as she spelled out the ways that she would approach getting back on her feet. Her tactics were unscrupulous but clever, underhanded yet subtle, devious yet straightforward, brash but controlled. It explained in so many ways, the places that Vala had come from and the ways that she had grown and changed since becoming a part of their team. But all of the planning in the world couldn't change the fact that Vala had changed since she had been with SG-1 and that was the wildcard that could cause the most deviation from their well-made call to action. She put on the bravest front at the prospect of experiencing this life again but everyone knew that it was just an act. Vala was just as worried as they were about revisiting the past.

The night before Vala left, they all had dinner together to acknowledge the import of what they were entering into-attempting to capture and negotiate with Adria, confronting the Ori head on and having the determination to come out on top. They knew they were risking a valued member of the team in the process and hoped that they would tempt fate and come out on top once again.

It was Mitchell who brought up the subject first, his concern apparent about how Vala would fare out in a world that she had not been a part of in so long, a life that she had worked so hard to get out of her system. Would her old ways come back as easily as they feared it would? Or would she struggle with it, knowing deep down that she had found something better for which to live. It scared all of them to think of how easy it would be for her to immerse herself in that world like an old, ill-fitting coat that she never should have been forced to wear in the first place.

So here they were now, trying to find a very beautiful needle in a dirty haystack with a marginally helpful roadmap of where it's located. Knowing Vala, she could be long gone in the space of 2 hours. Daniel cursed the protocol that required such intricate logistics and had delayed this particular rescue mission. And that is exactly how he saw it—a rescue mission to save a fallen team member who didn't even know she was down.

"There it is," Mitchell said with a tense expression on his face. He certainly wasn't carrying the emotional baggage that Daniel was struggling with but one of his team was missing and that affected him deeply. Plus, no matter how much he and Vala bickered, they were buddies and cared a great deal about each other. He wanted to find her just as badly as anyone.

The others followed Mitchell into the run-down inn, Daniel dragging behind almost afraid of what they'd find inside. They were all dressed to fit in with the locals but Daniel couldn't help but feel exposed, especially knowing the kind of instincts Vala was capable of using to her advantage. He didn't want her to bolt because she had keenly picked up on their plans. Maybe he should start counting on her particular inability to not comment when he was wearing leather pants. At that thought he pulled at his unusually tight trousers with the faintest hint of a smile thinking about Vala's past appreciation of this outfit.

The sad-looking innkeeper came out from the back, having seen the group coming into the building. He looked old and frail, half-senile if you cared to stereotype a little further. But Vala had told them not to be fooled by his act since he was a shrewd, sometimes ruthless adversary to have on your bad side. She and the wily innkeeper had a tenuous affection for each other that saw them both through profitable times.

"Who goes there? I say, who goes there! Speak up strangers."

Mitchell approached the man and eyed him warily. "The name's Mitchell. I believe we have a transaction to discuss. As I said before, we don't have a lot of time so let's get to it, old man." His face held a cold, unreadable expression, not giving away what he knew about the innkeeper so as not to compromise their mission or the innkeeper's reputation amongst the townsfolk.

"Aaaah, Mitchell. Yes, yes. But payment first. That's how things work in these parts. Don't think of swindling this old man or you'll find out just how far my influence spreads." He led the group to a table in the back that was flanked by the bar on one side and a cold fireplace on the other. He flashed the younger-looking bartender an unspoken look indicating some sort of behind-the-scenes communication. The bartender nodded and prepared several drinks for the group. The old man briefly appraised the unnamed man who resembled the Mitchell character and noticed his agitated behavior. Somebody was certainly impatient.

Mitchell glanced over at Teal'c and Sam. "My people are going to have a look around. I assume you got the message that it is very important that we speak with Vala Mal Doran." When he looked as if he would protest, Mitchell cut him off immediately. "You'll get your money, old man. Just play nice and this will work out well for all involved." He nodded towards Sam and Teal'c and they left the inn to check the perimeter. Daniel joined the old man at the table and they all stared at each other until the drinks arrived. Always wait for the drinks Vala had said.

Wordlessly, Mitchell threw a bag of tradable currency across the table with a little bit of something extra to sweeten the deal. He then leaned back in a bored manner as if the whole business were inconsequential instead of the dire scenario that it actually was. The old man dug through the bag suspiciously, finally noticing the extra incentive they had included in their offering. He seemed impressed and satisfied with the trade and with a delighted shriek, he signaled to his bartender once more.

The bartender grabbed something from underneath the bar and placed it in front of the old man, remaining at his shoulder as both Mitchell and Daniel leaned over with interest.

"Patience, patience my boys. You'll get your information." He pushed the small object towards the two men so that they could get a better look. What they saw was a rudimentary map and a gate address. "This should tell you what you need to know about Mal Doran. I have it on good authority that she's still blissfully tucked away in her room even as we speak. I'm sure men of your resources will have no problem catching up with her."

Daniel looked the old man incredulously. He recognized the gate address and noticed that while it indicated a planet that was not far away, neither was it right next door either. "Uh, excuse me," Daniel said hotly. "When you contacted us you said that she was here-on this planet. Now you're saying that she's almost to the next star system by now?" He was a step away from breaking with diplomacy. He couldn't believe this "contact" was wasting precious time. The gate was a good 20 minute walk from their current location. And when it came to Vala, 20 minutes could be all the leeway she needed, especially if she thought she was being watched to ensure that she was 'tucked away in her room.' Damn this old man!

The old man cackled shrewdly. "Aaaah, aha! I only said that she was close by. Besides, I don't know you from a stranger passing through. I had to check a few things out before I start burning bridges by feeding you information on my associates."

"How noble." Daniel replied sarcastically. While he'd like the think that this man was in his own way looking out for Vala, he somehow doubted that his intentions were as altruistic as he claimed. "Check some things out? I'm sure you did. But as soon as you realized that the price was right, you seemed more than willing to give her up. Is this information even any good? She could be halfway across the galaxy by now!" Mitchell turned around and glared at Daniel. Losing their cool wasn't going to get them what they needed.

"What my associate means to say is that if this intel is in anyway faulty, Vala Mal Doran's wraith will be the least of your worries." The old man didn't look the least bit intimidated but shrugged as if Mitchell had simply commented on the weather. Mitchell looked down at the map and figured it would be easy enough to navigate but they needed to get out of there before the trail turned cold.

"Mal Doran will be a tricky one to pin down so save your energy for that. I can assure you that I am the only one in these parts that would have told you anything at all. Lucky for me, I have a very forgiving face and she owes me one." The bartender was still standing at the old man's shoulder and was looking at the interaction soberly although his gaze held an inquisitive questioning at Daniel's reaction to the realization that Vala was not currently on their planet.

Vala hadn't mentioned anything about this man. Daniel wondered why and yet didn't want to know at the same time.

The bartender looked up, watching Teal'c and Sam approaching the entrance of the building. When he spoke, his voice was soft yet held a solid knowledge that commanded the two visitors to turn their attention fully on him. "We would have led you astray if our sources had not approved the contact. We've both known Vala a long time and she obviously doesn't want to be found." The old man laughed at that and slapped his hand on the table, shaking his head in glee at their task of finding the illusive thief. The bartender smiled at the old man but his sober expression returned as he looked at Daniel again. "I don't know what your business is with her but if you wish her ill, I suggest you cut your losses. She will not be found. If you wish to find her…for another reason, good luck to you. You're going to need it."

Daniel held his gaze for a moment, so many questions arising about this quiet man's stake in their transaction. "If you're both so skeptical, why bother to give us any information in the first place" Daniel asked with genuine curiosity.

The bartender paused as if contemplating how much to reveal to this almost complete stranger. He smiled a small, nostalgic grin. "Vala may not be on the planet now but she did pass through. Like I said, we've known her a long time and let's just say that just because Vala doesn't want to be found doesn't mean that she shouldn't be. She's a tough woman but sometimes it's the oddest things that get her worked her up and we've gotten used to judging when she's being her own worst enemy."

The old man stomped his foot and waved dismissively at the younger man. "Oh stop being so dramatic and cryptic. Mal Doran obviously told this little band of inquisitive travelers all about us. Well, maybe just all about me." He glanced mischievously at the bartender and then over to Daniel as he said that. "A little while ago, we received a communication from Mal Doran warning us that we might have a strange encounter with her soon and that if she were to pass through on the run that we were to follow a certain course of action. Of course, with her, you take everything with a grain of salt because, let's face it, she's always on the run from something." He chuckled thinking about all of the wily thief's past adventures. "She identified certain parties who may have an interest in her whereabouts and what to do if they should inquire about her. Knowing that we'd do what was most profitable for us and given the nature of our transaction, I can only assume she meant for you to be given a lead on her trail."

Mitchell was starting to think that Vala's relationship with these two men was more than meets the eye. "So we passed your little tests did we?" He eyed Teal'c and Sam waiting outside keeping and eye on things. They threw him a questioning look but were given an unreadable expression in turn. Turning his attention back to the two men, he waited for a response to his observation.

The bartender looked at them, once again sizing them up. He stared down Daniel for a little longer than was comfortable and was rewarded by Daniel's growing agitation. He wanted to get out of there and find Vala, however, he felt compelled to stay until he got the full story from the bartender who seemed to know a lot more than was originally thought. "When Vala passed through a day ago, she spent a lot of time patronizing my bar which is…an unusual deviation from her normal, professional habits. She seemed fixated on some kind of deal gone bad, but bitter in a way that I've never seen her. I don't claim to know what's going on with her but she won't last long on the circuit with that kind of recklessness brewing. It'll make her sloppy and that's something I never thought I'd say about Vala in all the time that I've known her." Mitchell and Daniel instinctively exchanged concerned looks before catching themselves.

"Vala said in her communication that if our instincts told us something was amiss that we should make sure the right people found her. When we responded to your inquiries, we were almost certain she meant you and your associates," he said indicating Daniel and the rest of the team waiting outside. "However, until seeing you in person and receiving our asking price, we did not want to give away her location to the wrong people. Let's just say, we're convinced that this transaction is a good one." He looked down at the older man who had been listening with interest but had also retrieved one of the extra items Vala had instructed them to include with any currency provided to the trader.

With great care, he peeled back the wrapper of the chocolate morsel—one of several in the bag they had used to hold the currency. With great fanfare, he popped it into his mouth and savored the treat with enthusiasm.

"That Mal Doran is double her weight in trouble but damned if she doesn't have a sense of humor…and a bit of a soft spot for an old man." Mitchell and Daniel looked at him expecting him to expand on why Vala had directed them to include chocolate candies as part of the deal. She had refused to explain, only smiling enigmatically and telling them it was a story for another day. The old man unfortunately didn't seem like he was going to enlighten them either. He laughed raucously at their confusion. "When you find her, you sit her down and make her tell you that story. It's not mine to tell. She does it so much better." He then cackled again while reaching for another candy.

Maybe Daniel had misjudged this man and the situation as a whole. But he didn't like what he was realizing about the relationship that Vala may or may not have had over the years with both the elder man and the younger bartender. There was so much she had been through that she had never shared with him, although to be fair, he had never really asked. He really was an insensitive ass sometimes. It was all the more reason he needed to get the hell out of there. Both the old man's and the bartender's concern for Vala only added to Daniel's anxiety. They needed to find her and now.

"We should go," Daniel said simply and got up to leave.

Mitchell followed suit after downing the rest of his drink. "Pleasure doing business with ya," he said looking back and forth between Vala's former associates. He moved towards the door followed by Daniel and didn't notice when the bartender grabbed Daniel's arm forcefully and pulled him back.

"Don't make us regret our decision," he said harshly. His grip then loosened on Daniel's arm but his intensity remained just as high. "And if you find her, try not to lose her again. I was never one to think Vala was one for a partner but I can only imagine that she would have chosen well."

Daniel looked at the man and simply nodded. The bartender then released Daniel with a small grin at the man's obvious conflicting emotions. Vala sure did make the most interesting choices. "Listen, I'm sure she didn't mention me at all right?" Daniel's terse look was answer enough. The bartender only responded with further amusement. "While that may seem strange, I can assure you that it was simply as an extra safeguard that you were the right ones to deal with. She always said I had good instincts. Of course, when she turned down my offer for a partnership, I did tell her that she'd never find a better offer than mine. Let's hope I was having a bad day when I said that."

Looking down self-consciously at the subtext of their conversation and having been read so easily, Daniel then turned and left the dingy building and the two equally dingy but loyal associates to resume his search. It was a stark reminder of just how much was at stake.


	4. Gut Reaction

**Author's Note: I know it's been a LONG while but I'm going to finish this story even if it kills me. My apologies and my sincerest thanks to those of you who have poked and prodded me to get this story back up and running. I heard your requests and pleas and have only recently written material that I think does the story justice and is worth you spending your time reading. I'm hoping to run with this. I hope you all enjoy. **

* * *

**Chapter Four:** **Gut Reaction**

'It gets easier ever day,' Vala told herself and then wondered if there was any room for optimism in her new life. Shrugging it off as she made her way through the new dusty town of seemingly less desperate citizens than the last hole she had parted from. Not that it had been all bad.

Her brief stint had bought her in contact with two old friends, if she even wanted to label people like that in her life anymore. Nevertheless, it hadn't been horrible to see two of the more permanent people from her past. Kul had been even more meddlesome than she remembered but Binny had been a grumpy old hoot as always. Some things never change.

'And some things do only to change right back around again,' she thought to herself as she took in the dreary but familiar scenery.

She was getting better she had to admit. No disturbing dreams had haunted her in the past night's slumber, although the sizable portion of ale she had consumed before she finally succumbed to unconsciousness may have had something to do with that. But if that was the price she had to pay not to see their smiles in her sleep, hear their laughter now mocking her, it was worth it simply to ease her moving on. She couldn't stand the sight of _his_ eyes especially anymore. They only made her feel worse.

Feeling a little more assured of herself and less frantic than the past few days, Vala strolled towards the commerce market hoping to keep her ear to the ground about any opportunities, Such a venture which used to fill her with excitement and expectation now seemed like a nuisance, an obligation to fulfill in order to bring purpose to her days. She had started to think that if she was looking, she'd find just the right opportunity to maybe find a little spot in the universe to disappear to. Sure it wasn't her nature to be solitary but there had to be some corner of the galaxy where she could slow down and just breathe.

But then she'd banish those thoughts. That was her Earth-phase talking. It was precisely that kind of laziness and false-comfort that had her on the run at present. The very thought of going through that again simply disgusted her, especially when she realized that she was yet again choking back the feelings of intense loss that she had been struggling with since leaving the company of her former comrades.

'So much for thinking I was getting better,' she pondered bitterly.

As she walked throughout the aisles of merchants selling and bribing and otherwise having a decent shot of making a living, she noticed a stillness that she hadn't picked up on before. Her sense of comfort left in an instant. Vala's instincts had always been pretty good and had gotten her out of trouble on more than a few occasions when she had attempted her more reckless scams. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Con artists prowled, the strongmen bullied and money exchanged hands over and over again just like any other day. There was no way anyone could have tracked her to this planet, even if the fools she had dealt with on her last deal did have more than 3 braincells to collectively rub together. She was sure her Earth enemies had long lost her trail and there was no Ori activity to be heard of in this part of the galaxy…yet.

Still, it was one of those days where she was going to have to keep her eyes and ears open.

* * *

When the members of SG1 stepped on the planet, their heightened sense of anticipation was almost palpable. They just knew Vala would be on this planet and they knew they were going to finally find her and clear up this whole awful mess. If they were lucky, they'd have her home by the evening and could start rebuilding all of the things they had lost since she had disappeared.

Cameron's mind wandered to the reinstatement of team nights because although he had continued to get together with Teal'c, Daniel and Sam on a semi-regular basis, it wasn't really a "team night" without her. Sam was thinking of all the girls night in parties they had missed and how they would have to make up for lost time both in wine but also pedicures and shopping. She knew no amount of memory re-coding could erase her love for that. Teal'c would welcome their time spent wandering the haunts of the SGC, her going on in her animated manner about this and that and him stoically nodding at all the right points while letting her lead him around by the arm.

Daniel was the only one who didn't think of the past. He thought only of the future that he hoped to build with her once she was back with him.

After taking a short stroll from the gate, the team decided to split up to locate her faster and less conspicuously. They had gotten better at blending in with the crowd-no doubt through Vala's sometimes less than orthodox tutelage. Hopefully by their check-in time, they'd have one dark-haired, likely pissed off alien to wrestle with.

* * *

Vala left the market and walked back towards the town proper. She wasn't feeling like company tonight so she thought she'd find herself a room and plot her next moves. There was a stash on a small moon in Ba'al's former territory whose potential she pondered. Or maybe she should save that for a bit more security after she had drummed up a nest egg for herself . Decisions, decisions. But with all the immediate concerns about currency behind her, she finally had the time and mental energy to move forward. She needed to put the moping and fretting behind her. This existence was her life now and she needed to get on with it.

* * *

No one was having any luck whatsoever. The city center on this planet was a lot bigger than their previous locations. She could be tucked away anywhere and asking too many questions in a place like this was sure to draw the wrong kind of attention.

Teal'c and Sam had checked the commerce center and asked discretely if anyone had seen Vala. No one had admitted to noticing anyone like her but you just couldn't tell with this lot. Daniel and Cam were checking at the tavern and inn as well as the surrounding recreational areas that an off-worlder might need. But they had come up empty as well.

After a few more turns in the area, Daniel was becoming frustrated and panicked and all-around grumpy which, in turn, made Cam particularly jumpy.

"Calm down Prince Charming. We'll find your Sleeping Beauty soon enough. She's just hidden really, really well. Again. That girl sure knows how to find the deepest foxholes. The Ori home galaxy, Trust-induced amnesia and now this."

"Yeah, yeah," was Daniel's terse response.

Cam was starting to worry himself but he couldn't let Daniel see that. The two of them freaking out together wouldn't be of much help to the situation and Sam would probably kick their butt for it.

_"Hey guys, pick up,"_ they heard Sam say over the radio.

"What you got?" Cam replied.

_"Maybe nothing but some merchant says he saw someone fitting Vala's description heading your way about 10 or 15 minutes ago. Apparently she wasn't drawing much attention to herself, just walking and browsing it seems. Of course, being of the male species, this guy was checking her out which is how he noticed her." _

They could hear the humor in her voice and also the thinly veiled excitement. Could she really be so close to them right now?

"Copy that," Cam said. "We're on it. Y'all coming?"

_"Indeed,"_ Teal'c answered. "_We are heading to your location now."_

Daniel had stood silently during the exchange looking around as if she would pop up in his line of vision any minute. "What if this is some sort of trick," he finally said after a long, contemplative pause. "She could have paid that guy to say that as soon as she spotted us. Maybe she's half-way to the gate by now and who knows how we'll find her after that."

"Uh, ok, slow down there Debbie Downer. We did leave a couple of Marines by the Stargate just in case of this very scenario. You worry too much. Let's just go find our girl." It wouldn't do to have a paranoid Daniel killing their rescue mission before it even got interesting. But Cam couldn't be too hard on him. He was just trying not to get his hopes up too high. The poor guy was wound tight as drum.

Daniel sighed and again looked at the buildings surrounding them. "You're right. We're gonna find her. I know it's crazy but I can feel that she's close. I've felt that ever since we stepped on this planet. Now we just need to follow through. Let's go."

They could see Teal'c and Sam making their way down the long promenade towards them and prepared themselves for the final steps of Operation: Bring Vala Home.

* * *

Vala was getting that feeling again. The one telling her to keep herself sharp because something big was about to go down. But it seemed so strange. Nothing was going on that she could tell. Maybe she was just getting rusty and being paranoid. It wouldn't make her less careful of course. There would be time to analyze all of this later when she was a little less stressed.

As she turned the corner to enter the far-town inn from its side entrance, a flash of something familiar caught her eye. She quickly ducked towards the side of the building and crept along the shadow of the interior, hoping not to be seen. She couldn't exactly place what had caught her attention but one could never be too careful-especially if one lived a life on the run. As she got to the corner of the building, she slowly stole a glance around the side and tried to process what she saw.

To her horror, the very familiar profile of one Daniel Jackson had filled her vision for a fraction of a second before she was once again obstructed by the side of the building.

He had been standing about 20 yards in front of her and slightly to the right, seemingly turning around to look for something-and that something was likely her.

Damn, damn, damn! What the hell were they doing there? How the hell did they find her. No one knew where she had gone, not the marks she hand unloaded that cargo ship with, not Binny and Kul who she had only really seen for a blink. So how did this happen. Those damn Taur'i were really too nosy for their own good. No wonder they were always getting into so much trouble.

She had to get off this planet and fast. But what about those SG1 traitors? She couldn't leave a trail for them or they'd follow her across the galaxy just to annoy her no doubt. She had to wonder why their Earth government would care so much about her. Sure she knew something about Earth's defenses but nothing that they couldn't account for. And hadn't she proven over and over again that while she had a lot of vices, breaking easily wasn't one of them. And unlike them, she didn't betray her allies so easily either. Perhaps they thought she would sell their stupid little secrets freely, seeing her as disloyal as they had turned out to be.

No matter. She knew what she had to do. Getting captured by her former friends so that they could lock her up for who knows how long was not part of the plan. Never again would she have her freedom taken from her.

She crept back around the side of the inn and slipped inside. This was going to be an easy one.

* * *

Sam had found an empty space in one of the city government structures where she could set up undetected. They had no indication that Vala had taken the tracking device out of her so perhaps they could still find her using some of their technology. The rest of the group continued to scour the city looking around and asking questions.

When Daniel entered the tavern, he was struck with how ordinary it seemed after all of the dives and holes they had been in since they started their little adventure. His eyes adjusted to the dimness almost instantly allowing him to see the usual degenerates, swindlers and otherwise down on their luck patrons. To his dismay though there was no Vala.

He walked up to a less than savory looking fellow leaning over his table nursing a drink. This was just the kind of guy he needed.

"Hey pal," he said sitting down. He wasn't even going to pretend like he belonged in a place like this. Even this guy who probably hadn't seen a sober day in a while would be able to tell that he was a fish out of water.

"Not your pal, uh pal," the man said sullenly. Not surprisingly, this wasn't his first drink.

Daniel flashed his charmer's grin and signaled for the barkeep to send over some fresh booze. "I can be today, or at least for a moment if you've got one to answer a simple question."

The man cocked his head away from Daniel in general disinterest but did throw him a nod for the drink. "Thanks for the drink but I gotta warn you that I don't see much."

"That's ok," Daniel answered kindly. "I don't need you to have seen much, I just need you to have seen one very special, specific thing. She's about 5'6, long dark hair and about the sweetest body that can squeeze into a pair of leather pants. I'm sure even you couldn't have missed something like that," he implored.

"Who that Vala woman? Boy was she hot. You trying to get a piece of her 'cause let me tell you, I tried and if I couldn't get some action with her, you haven't got a chance." He laughed at Daniel's surprised expression and knocked back his previous drink before starting in on the one Daniel had provided. "She's gone anyway, she left with some big guy. Said something about getting off the planet before the bird flew the coop or something." He gulped down half the drink before slouching even further in his seat. "She said she was some kind of big deal or something but that's everybody's story in these parts. I'm sure you got the same claim too.

"Shit," Daniel spat out to himself. "Uh thanks. Next round's on me," and he dropped a few coins on the table before heading out. The man slowly collected the currency as he watched the strange man leave. Whatever. It wasn't his business.

Teal'c was just approaching the building when Daniel came out. "I have been unable to locate Vala Mal Doran in the vicinity. Have you had any luck Daniel Jackson?"

"Luck? None at all. Some guy in there said she's halfway to the gate. He said she left with some guy working some kind of scam." The panic was starting to set in. They could not let her get away again. We have to catch her before she disappears again.

"Daniel Jackson, will not the marines assigned to the Stargate prevent her from leaving the planet?"

"I like Anderson and Jossef but do you really think they're any match for Vala if she's trying to jump ship?" It was a good point. Daniel reached for his radio to inform Sam and Cam of this new development. Cam told him and Teal'c to head towards the gate while he and Sam kept an eye out for her in the area.

As Teal'c and Daniel walked along the patch towards the gate at a brisk pace, Daniel kept turning the information around again and again in his head.

"Teal'c does it seem weird to you that Vala would just randomly spill her plans to some drunk guy she was shooting the breeze with at a bar?"

Teal'c thought about this point for a moment. "Vala Mal Doran has been acting most unusual as of late so it is difficult to draw a conclusion from these recent events. However, it does seem counter to her instincts for her to be so forthcoming about her future plans."

Daniel stopped in the middle of the path, his wheels obviously still turning on the subject. "Do you think she's playing us? I know, I know, Cam thinks I'm paranoid but this just doesn't sit right. Her leaving with someone else? Vala's always worked alone. I think she spotted us and is trying to give us the slip. The question is, what the hell is she planning?"

Teal'c was about to answer when from afar they saw the Stargate light up with what looked like an incoming wormhole. Anderson and Jossef were out of sight as they had been ordered so no one else was around. Daniel was elated that at least this meant that Vala hadn't left the planet yet.

However, as the eye rippled with movement and the appearance of new people on the planet, Daniel's heart sank as he spotted the familiar metal armor of Ori soldiers.

"Oh crap."

"Indeed."

* * *

Vala peered from around the tree overlooking the Stargate. The strap of her duffle bag was digging a mean hole in her shoulder at the angle she was squatting but that couldn't be helped. She had easily spotted the two marines left to guard the gate and was struck with an intense irritation at her former Earth companions and their tenacity. She was loathe to use the So'dan cloak again for fear of the radiation exposure and she really didn't want to zat either of them. They had both been two of her regular card playing buddies and she was sure they had nothing to do with the rather distasteful business of getting rid of her like the others had. When Reynolds had returned from the failed mission she had sent them on, she didn't recall either of them treating her any differently. Or maybe they had and their betrayal just hadn't run as deep as the others.

But desperate times called for desperate measures and she was sure they'd zat her if the situation was reversed. Decision made, she stood up slightly in order to circle around and get the best shot off. Before she could move however, the Stargate lit up and an incoming wormhole lit up the area.

Stupid timing, she thought. Now I'm going to have to wait for these fools to leave. She crouched back down and prepared to wait out the new arrivals. When she caught a flash of the sun bouncing off the shiny armor of an Ori soldier, she almost lost her footing. An instant and irrational fear welled up in her as she scanned quickly for either a Prior or, worse yet, Adria.

If there was one thing she abhorred more than the idea of returning to Earth, it was getting captured by the Ori. Being held so her "daughter" could force her conversion to the path of the Ori or even better, getting burned alive again was to be avoided at every cost. How did everything get so wrong so fast? How was she going to get out of this with the Ori on one side and SG1 on the other?

Knowing she only had a short time before being detected, Vala skulked away to think of a plan B.

TBC


	5. Plan B

**Author's Note: I'm not sure who's still out there reading but I felt like I had to finish this story even if no one but me saw it. Finishing this has been a painful process at times with all the drafts that I eventually scrapped (and other frustrations). But it was a pleasure immersing myself into this world again. I'm glad to be finishing things up in a way that made sense for the story. **

**The good news is that I've finished it off in a burst of inspiration so no more waiting for an ending - I think there will be about 3 more chapters after this one. I'm so thankful to those of you who have encouraged me over the course of this story and for those that kindly served as a sounding board as I worked through it. I couldn't have done it without you.**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Plan B**

_'I'm such an idiot. I should have listened to my instincts and gotten the hell off this cursed planet.'_

Vala continued to silently berate herself as she made her way back to town to actually come up with a plan B. It was bad enough that those stupid Tau'ri traitors had tracked her down - how they had done that, she had no idea - but now the damn Ori had shown up. It didn't look like Adria was amongst the new arrivals but she hadn't stuck around to make sure. If her prodigal daughter was in any way involved, she had to get underground quickly.

Things looked bad. Really, really bad. But she had been through worse and she would get through this too. As she approached the marketplace with its unsuspecting denizens wandering around having no idea what was in store for them, it came to her the only way she was going to get out of this situation. She looked towards the far-off docking station and quickly made her way through the crowds. If she was going to do this, she had to do it quickly. There was only one thing she had to do first to make a clean getaway.

* * *

Teal'c and Daniel hurriedly crouched through brush and trees on their way back to the city center.

"Uh guys," Daniel said trying to catch his breath and keep up with Teal'c who was making a stealthy path in front of him.

_"You got her?"_ Cam asked excitedly.

Daniel winced at his enthusiasm knowing their team leader wasn't going to like this development. "Not quite but we picked up something that's a whole lot more trouble. The gate just activated and a squadron of Ori soldiers came through."

_"Come again, Jackson because it sounded like you said a troop of Ori soldiers was on its way and I know I couldn't have heard you say something like that." _

"Well, you might want to get your hearing checked when we get back to Command, _if_ we make it back to Earth."

Sam had been busy gathering up their tech to get ready for a quick transport for Vala but she stopped what she was doing when she heard mention of the Ori. _"What would they be doing here? With Adria most likely MIA, why would they be wandering around this part of the galaxy?"_

Daniel ducked behind a tree and looked back to see if they were being followed and also to catch any sign of Vala. "I don't know but if they manage to capture me again, I'll be sure to ask. Damn!" he cried out, grabbing harshly at the branch that had smacked him in the forehead.

_"Look, Jackson, Teal'c get your asses back here pronto. We're gonna have to lay low on this one and hope they're not in a 'suss out the unbelievers and burn them alive' kind of mood. It's unlikely Vala had time to get off the planet and will lay low too. We can pick up her scent when all the excitement dies down."_

Another branch caught a hold of Daniel's sleeve and he cursed again angrily under his breath. "Yeah, we kind of figured that too." His annoyance wasn't aimed at Mitchell but his frustration at this dire turn of events with the mission was getting to him.

Teal'c stealthily moved another branch out of Daniel's path and turned around to track the soldiers' progress. "We understand Colonel Mitchell. We will be there shortly and will look for Vala Mal Doran on our way."

_"Sounds good. Well, actually, it sounds royally screwed but we'll see you soon anyway. Mitchell out."_

* * *

Vala had almost been too stunned to act but she quickly got over it. Catching a hint of Mitchell's and Sam's voices hadn't been too bad. She had felt only a small pull towards the memories of her former friends and did her best to swallow the bitterness down and move on. But when she had seen Daniel and Teal'c hurriedly sneaking into the ridiculously obvious place that the rest of the group was hiding, her inability to breathe lasted a little too long for her liking. She absently rubbed at the scar on her arm where her tracking device had been efficiently but painfully removed after her escape from the SGC and pushed onward.

To be fair, their hiding place was only obvious to her knowing how SG-1 operated. The Ori were resourceful no doubt but if they weren't looking for the Earth-dwellers specifically, they probably wouldn't have an easy time finding them in that particular spot. Hopefully, the Ori weren't looking for either of them and they would just breeze through the planet after giving the locals the hard sell. They were certainly getting refreshingly predictable these days.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she crept into the empty government building and went down into the underground tunnels after the two men she had seen a few moments before. She could hear the echo of movement below and knew that she was on the right track. She kept telling herself that she needed to do this to protect herself ultimately. After everything that had happened between them, they were lucky she was stopping herself at this one, small bit of sabotage.

She quietly crept down the last hallway in the cavernous space and couldn't mistake the voices that she heard rising and falling against the walls around them. She tried not to listen because it would only make things more complicated and the last thing she needed right now in this disaster of a situation was more complications. She quietly set her gear down beside her and quickly put her plan into action. If she was lucky, they'd be too focused on figuring out how to escape the Ori to understand what was going on right under their noses. And by the time they figured it out, she'd be long gone.

A heavy nudge in just the right place, a twist where it was needed and it was all set. _"Good riddance,"_ she thought to herself before swiftly making her way in the direction from which she had come, a sharp glance back over her shoulder the last she expected to see of the Tau'ri.

* * *

"Did you hear something?" Sam asked as she looked up from the cursory scan she was conducting for Ori activity. Knowing the dangers of having their current number one enemy so closely had her on edge. Her sensors were limited from their position but the range was wide enough for her to see that the relatively small legion of Ori soldiers had reached the market. However, instead of setting up camp for one of the Priors to 'spread the gospel' the group appeared to be quickly but methodically moving from sector to sector of the area. It was odd.

She wasn't one for paranoia but one couldn't be too careful. And she could have sworn she had felt a couple muffled footfalls in the passageway outside of the door.

Daniel, who had been steadily pacing since he and Teal'c had joined them a few moments before, shook his head, although he wasn't the most reliable of sources. His worry over Vala escaping yet again without nary a lead as to her next destination was eating at him. Sam felt for him but she hated to admit that they had bigger worries at the moment.

"The Ori are still half a mile away from here. I don't think they're on to us. Yet," Daniel continued. He sighed and joined Mitchell by the small opening at the corner of their hideout. "I don't think anyone followed us down here. Anderson and Jossef are laying low a good distance from the gate and this location is too remote. We would have seen anyone tailing us before entering this part of the town."

Teal'c nodded his assent from the other side of the rickety table displaying their remaining equipment that required packing and stowing. "Neither did I detect anyone within our vicinity. However, it may be wise to prepare for an expedient exit in case our location becomes compromised."

"Big guy might have a point," Mitchell added, turning from the opening. "It looks like they're getting closer. We're tucked in pretty good down here but I'd sure as hell rather be safe than sorry. Let's pack it up and get ready to move out."

Sam nodded and set down the computer still showing the legion of Ori moving about the town, this time markedly closer to their position. Then minutes later, only the computer remained unpacked and the foursome stood idly but tensely waiting to see if they'd have to resort to cavalier heroics to make it home.

About ten minutes later, Sam directed the group's attention to the moving targets glowing brightly on the computer screen. "It looks like they're splitting up. Half of the group is heading back towards the gate while these three sets of soldiers are spreading out to the three complexes off of the center market." She tracked the figures as they moved across the screen, lingering on one of the sets of blinking lights. "This set is headed right towards us."

Mitchell lost no time in preparing for the worst. "Take up positions, folks. If we're gonna do this, we're not going to get caught with out pants down." Sam and Daniel looked over at their team leader and snickered despite the tension of the situation; Teal'c expressed his usual raised eyebrow of amusement as well. Mitchell, initially clueless as to his team's jovial turn, then registered his previous statement. "Oh, don't you even start. None of you." And just when he thought the 'Cam always losing his pants' joke had run its course. They were quick to turn their amused expressions into one of feigned ignorance as they placed themselves into formation by the entrance. The sound of approaching footsteps outside had them on alert once more.

Sam grabbed the open computer and stayed on the far side of the others so that she could monitor the soldiers' movements as well as track any activity outside of their hiding spot. She didn't have to wait but a few minutes for footsteps to echo above their heads and the familiar cadence of Ori boots to kick up dust towards the covered opening at the corner of the room. "Radio silence, guys. They're close."

No one would have registered one breath in the room when SG-1 were in stealth mode. There was an anxious moment as they caught a glimpse through the opening of the four Ori soldiers passing above their room. After a few moments of silence, they were hoping that the guards had passed them without notice. However, Sam gestured to her screen that while the other soldiers had headed back towards the gate, the ones closest to them had doubled back and were closing in on their location. Instead of searching along the perimeter as they had when the group had first spotted them, they were now at the subterranean level where they were located.

Each person tensed up waiting for action as the faint sounds of movement reached them from down the passageway. They had chosen the room because it was out of the way and hidden from the main thoroughfares but also had a view towards the town's activity. Most places on this planet did not have underground spaces due to seismic activity so it seemed like the perfect place to set up operations without anyone getting in their way. However, the drawback had been that there was no lock on the door, either on the inside or the outside. If the soldiers were to check each room, there would be no keeping them from discovery.

Preparing for the worst, they kept quiet and listened for any clue about what the Ori were doing down there. They would go on the offensive if they had to but for now they had the element of surprise and were going to hold off until they could use it to their advantage.

"Check this area but make it quick. The rest of the regiment is at the gate and the Prior is waiting." The gruff voice of the head soldier cut through the silence but it was soon overshadowed by the scuffle of stomping boots in the cavernous passageway. The team could hear the sound of doors opening and closing coming closer and closer to their position. They had all pulled out at least one weapon, with Sam closing and setting down the laptop in favor of free access to her extra weapon.

When they heard the group approach their door, Mitchell signaled to the rest of the team and everyone got into position for a surprise attack. During the last tense minutes as the soldiers had closed in on them, Daniel hoped with all he had that Vala had managed to evade the Ori. He was desperate to find her but not at the expense of getting her caught back in the web of the people who had already done her more wrongs than she ever deserved. And since she probably didn't know yet what happened to Adria, there was no telling what would happen to her if she fell back into the hands of the Ori.

There was a loud click from the area of the door handle. It was time to see the next crazy turn that this rescue mission was about to take.

* * *

_AN: I'll be posting each of the next chapters as fast as I can edit them (and cleaning up previous chapters). Thanks for reading!_


	6. Cold Trails

**Chapter Six: Cold Trails**

Vala peered down from her view on the roof of the building. The Ori were still at the gate which was a good sign that they would be on their way. But their activity - or lack thereof - while they were here was puzzling and more than a little unsettling. There had been no Adria, no Prior, no gathering up the townsfolk and regaling them with tales of prostration and how hallowed be the Ori. They had basically swept the town section by section, as if they were searching for something. Or someone. There had been some brusque stopping and inquiring from a few people along the way but whether it was the natural closed nature of the citizens of this planet or the Ori's innate arrogance, they had mostly wandered around before giving up and turning back, apparently not finding what they were looking for.

What troubled her was the group of six soldiers that had stayed behind to further explore the area where her former teammates were hiding. She had frowned when she saw the men marching into the building containing the group's hidden room but forced herself to direct her attention to her escape plan. They were on their own and had proven repeatedly that they could take care of themselves.

And obviously they had also proved that they didn't need her around watching their backs either. They didn't give a damn about her so she could certainly return the favor.

She turned her attention back to the Ori soldiers standing by the gate and decided that she had lingered long enough. She should be all set to get the hell off this planet and put the surprises of the day behind her. With her new currency and not a responsibility in the world, the universe was hers for the taking.

* * *

Everyone was on alert waiting for all hell to break loose.

The handle on the door turned. Mitchell and Teal'c cocked their weapons in preparation for attack and then…

Nothing.

The handle abruptly stopped with the door remaining solidly closed between them and the Ori on the other side. Daniel, Mitchell and Teal'c looked at each other in clear confusion, weapons still at the ready. Sam silently dropped in a crouch and opened up the computer to see if their scans revealed any reason for the soldiers to stop and stand down. She looked back up at the rest of the team and shrugged, clearly as lost as the others about what was going on.

But when they turned back to the sound of the door handle being turned again, it became apparent that the Ori soldiers hadn't stopped trying to get in. It was that the door was locked. Or jammed. Either way, it wasn't opening under the hands of the enemy, a development that they were going to take for the moment.

Did they suspect that something or someone of interest was in there? They weren't out of the woods yet. Mitchell signaled the team and they quietly took position to prepare for the Ori to forcefully enter the room by breaking down the door.

A muffled voice drifted into the room from the hallway. "Leave it. There's nothing down here. We'll report that she was not found. Let's join the others at the gate."

While SG-1 had been preparing for the worst, the rest of the soldiers had been checking out the empty rooms finding nothing of interest. Even after the sounds of the soldiers retreated, the team still stood at the ready unable to believe how close they had come to a fight.

It was Mitchell that spoke up first of course. "Uh, well, that went better than I thought it would," he offered weakly.

Sam leaned down and checked the scan readings again and confirmed that the Ori soldiers were indeed retreating towards the direction of the gate. "I can't explain it but they're leaving. There are no more Ori in our immediate vicinity."

"It appears that they continue to search for their Orici," Teal'c added.

"Or Vala if she was spotted," Daniel added, brow furrowed with growing anxiety.

"We have no reason to believe that the Ori know anything about Vala or would want anything with her now that Adria is out of the picture," Sam was quick to clarify. "It hasn't been that long since we captured her so maybe they believe she's been stranded somewhere and are searching this galaxy looking for her."

Mitchell shook his head and safetied his gun before relaxing into a non-combat position. "Sucks for them. I hope they keep up the search for a good, long time. It'll give us time to figure out our next steps." However, he was already approaching the closed door, distracted at figuring out how the door that they had been going in and out of for the better part of a couple hours, was now sealed tight enough to thwart a bunch of Ori foot soldiers. He pulled at the door expecting it to open as usual but he got the same results as the soldier had not five minutes before; the door wouldn't budge.

Daniel walked over applying his force to the door but there was no give whatsoever. They couldn't tell if the handle was jammed or if something had been wedged into the mechanism. Whatever had been done, the door was locked up good.

"Hey, big guy? You wanna give it a shot," Mitchell called over his shoulder to Teal'c who stoically approached the pair and added his considerable strength to the effort. The door creaked a little, clearly buckling under the stress. However, the door was quite thick and still refused to open.

Sam walked over poking at the computer in her hands. "I think the bigger question is why a door that worked perfectly fine when we walked in here now won't move an inch."

Daniel banged his fist on the door in frustration. "No, the bigger question is how much farther ahead of us Vala is now that the Ori have retreated. Even if they were looking for her, it doesn't appear as if they found her. That means that as soon as they head off of this planet, she's going to be back on the run. And this time, we have no idea where she'll go."

"Daniel, we won't let her get away. Let's take this one step at a time and first work on a way to get out of here," Sam said laying a comforting hand on his shoulder briefly.

They spent the next fifteen minutes fruitlessly trying to free the door from whatever had caused it to seal them in. Nothing was working. Jossef and Anderson couldn't be contacted until they were sure the Ori were gone and even then, they were still miles from their location. They were going to have to wait for reinforcements or break the door down.

Suddenly they heard a noise coming from the outside hallway and quieted down to listen for whether it was a friend or an enemy. A few knocks and a click later, the door opened and a shoddy looking vagabond stood in front of them with a crowbar-type item and hammer.

Mitchell grabbed him and dragged him in the room after checking the passageway to see if he had brought an entourage with him. Fortunately, the hallway looked as deserted as before. "Did you lock us in here?" he asked, not unkindly but with a tone that demanded an answer - and that it be a good answer as well.

The man stammered as he looked around at the off-worlders with their big guns and their equipment. He had not signed on for this kind of trouble. He had been paid to open the door but putting up with a bunch of armed strangers wasn't on his agenda for the day. God, he should have just gone back to his ale and left this business to the young.

"I'm just here to fiddle with the door. That's all I was paid for. I've never seen you before in my life so I certainly don't give a flying damn about you being locked in here." He glanced in Sam's direction before trying to inch his way back to the open door. "Well, maybe I would care about the lady over there but the rest of you could rot for harassing an old man who just helped you out."

Daniel rolled his eyes and grabbed his backpack. "We don't have time for this. We've got to find Vala now before she disappears again."

"Agreed," Mitchell said tersely. "But it wouldn't hurt to know whether the person who jiggered this door is a friend or the usual alien of the week that wants to kick our asses." He turned his attention back to the old man. "Who sent you down here? It's not exactly on the beaten path of the places you probably hang out in."

The man scoffed and glanced again at the open door. "We're not going to hurt you, old man. We just want some intel," Mitchell added. The man looked at him strangely before Mitchell clarified himself for the non-Earthling. "Information, that is. Give us a name."

"I don't know a name but she's long gone. She told me to come down here after the armored soldiers left and pull out the planks rigging the door. I didn't need to know anything more besides the coin she placed in my hand for the trouble." He looked around the room again at the clearly anxious strangers. "I probably should have held out for more."

"Vala," Sam supplied, voicing what they were all thinking.

"She was already on her way to the space dock when she secured my services and nearly a dozen ships have come and gone since I arrived. If you're looking for her, good luck. Now if you'll excuse me…" Mitchell gestured towards the door and the man ran out as fast as his aged legs could carry him.

Teal'c stood in the passageway watching the old man hobble out of the underground hallway and up onto the street. "He is correct. If Vala Mal Doran was on her way to a ship at the space dock, she will have no doubt already secured transport off of the planet."

"Even if she didn't suspect we were on her trail, she surely wouldn't hang out after seeing the Ori. That would have definitely spooked her," Sam continued.

"So are we just going to give up?" Daniel asked, frustrated. They had been so close. It seemed like he could sense her nearby since they arrived on the planet and now they were saying she was lost again? He couldn't accept it.

Mitchell stepped in hoping to return some order back into the situation. "No one is saying that, Daniel. Let's split up and cover our bases. Teal'c and I will check the space dock and you and Sam meet up with Jossef and Anderson to check out the gate since we know our girl isn't above a little subterfuge. We'll meet back in half and hour and go from there."

Daniel and Sam stowed their provisions and equipment into the hollowed out alcove at the back of the room and took off immediately, not saying a word but feeling as if they were running out of time. At least from the town center they'd be able to tell if the gate were activated and that might help them track where she went if she indeed left the planet that way. Teal'c and Mitchell took off in the opposite direction hoping to find some information on anyone who had seen the fleeing space pirate.


	7. The Getaway

**Chapter Seven: The Getaway**

Vala let out a deep breath having finally rid herself of both the Ori and SG-1.

_'Not bad for a day's work.'_

She gave a fleeting thought to the extra toast she'd make to herself tonight after completing her getaway. There was still plenty of fine liquor left in her stash and plenty of reasons to partake after the day she'd had. Seeing Daniel and the others would no doubt encourage her disturbing dreams and if there was one night that she wouldn't be able to handle it, it was tonight.

There were a lot of things that Vala had no hope of living up to. She wasn't a great partner-in-crime; she made a terrible wife if her past attempts were any indication. She was apparently horrendous at leading a quiet, trouble-free life, or a least as quiet and carefree as battling intergalactic evil with the Tau'ri allowed. At one point, Daniel had made her question those things about herself with his caring and belief in her. If it hadn't all turned out to be a lie, who knows what she could have become. When she really thought about it though it didn't matter. She wasn't meant for those things.

But the one thing that Vala knew she excelled at was self-preservation. The Earth people had a saying about cat's having nine lives. As far as she was concerned, that was nothing compared to how many times she had cheated an almost certain demise.

Vala silently cursed herself for yet again thinking in terms of the ones who had so recently betrayed her. As she was waiting out the Ori on the roof and justifying her reasons for helping SG-1, it became clear to her that no matter how much she denied it, what she was feeling right now was a deep heartbreak; it was the most hurtful kind of emotion a girl like her could experience. There was no denying that it was going to continue to hurt for a long time to come given how foolishly she had allowed them behind the emotional walls that she usually guarded so carefully. Maybe she was expecting too much of herself so soon but, nevertheless, Earth was no longer her reference point and she had to stop using that as a basis for interpreting her own circumstances and the world around her.

Well, that part would be easy now. With her latest escape plan, she would get rid of them for good. By now, hopefully they will have realized that and would give up their efforts to recapture her.

_Now where to? I hear that planet with the abandoned Goa'uld mine and the rocky beach on the south continent is excellent this time of the year._

She pondered her options as she stealthily made her way to the underground rooms that SG-1 had been using for a base. They were so gullible thinking that she'd taken the first transport or gate trip off the planet. But the old "wait and switch" as she had taken to calling it was the perfect back-up plan after the Ori had arrived. She had dropped enough hints and set up a damn fine ruse to ensure that they would surely follow the neat trail she had left for them - in the wrong direction. All she had to do was place a few coins in the right hands and the deceptions evolved quite nicely. By the time they got to the busy commerce center on a planet three sectors away, she'd be long gone. Hopefully, they'd never suspect that she had been hiding out waiting for them to leave before going her own way.

But just because she wanted to get away from them once and for all didn't mean that she wanted them turned over to the Ori either. From her spot on the roof, she had seen the soldiers steadily heading towards SG-1's direction. Knowing the her former teammates as she did, they were likely to walk right into the Ori's hands so it was better to make sure they were stuck in one place where they couldn't get themselves into trouble. So she had quickly snuck down and put a few simple panels in the door to stick it in place - no one would be making it in or out without dislodging the pieces she had quietly wedged in the door. Besides, with them locked away, it was that much more time she had to put her plan into action. She may not be a proclaimed do-gooder like them, but she didn't throw people to the wolves behind their back. That was their specialty, hypocrites that they were.

At the moment, her curiosity had gotten the better of her bitterness as she wondered how they had been tracking her in the first place. If they had some kind of technology that would keep them on her trail she needed to know about it. Or at least that's the reason she kept repeating to herself as she made her way to the secret room after seeing the team split up without their equipment. No doubt Samantha had left her laptop and it wouldn't take her long at all to do some quick digging before acquiring some intel of her own.

When she arrived at the room in question, she found their stash pretty easily, knowing how they worked. She passed on stealing any of their provisions - she didn't want anything from them anymore. But she did turn on Sam's computer to see what she could find out. The password had been laughably easy to bypass but, as they feared, she did still have plenty of knowledge about their technology. And it helped that she had known SG-1 rather well. Or so she had thought, she reflected bitterly.

The screen instantly displayed the last scan for Ori soldiers which now showed no signs of enemy targets. To Vala's relief it also didn't appear to be modified to pick up anything about her either. She minimized the program and was about to poke around in the files when a different screen than she had been expecting popped up. It showed a series of ancient symbols arranged and organized in a pattern she recognized.

It wasn't Samantha's computer, it was Daniel's.

Looking at the familiar files and folders brought a wave of both longing and resentment, neither welcome emotions given her present situation. She shook her head and tried to clear her mind of everything but the task she had come for. However, she immediately noticed a file folder at the bottom of the screen that caught her attention and held it. The folder had her name on it.

As if in a trance, she slowly scrolled to the folder and opened it, revealing a series of files and documents having to do with her. Most of them appeared to be maps and charts with different intel on the planets she had visited since leaving Stargate Command. Some of them were files with all their known information on her - her history, past planets she had knowledge of, etc. It wasn't surprising that they would be carrying around her life story and then some. They were trying to recapture and imprison her after all. But she was amazed and appalled at the detail of the information they had collected. They even knew of her most reliable contacts and go-betweens, including Kul and Binny. That must be one of the ways they had discovered her current whereabouts.

When she went further into the folder, she discovered a file with pictures of her of all kinds. Some with her former teammates and some of her alone. When she stumbled on one of her and Daniel together she quickly closed the file. She remembered that day well and that picture had captured the moment perfectly. In the photo, she was looking as if she were doing something to annoy Daniel and he was pretending to actually be annoyed but was secretly amused.

_'All lies,' she thought to herself again._

Another file caught her interest titled "Vala Homecoming" and she clicked on it, hearing the DVD player in the computer whirring to life. And before she could stop it an image of herself appeared and began talking to her.

* * *

When Sam and Daniel were about half way to the gate, they radioed Jossef and Anderson who told them that Vala had not been in that direction since the Ori had left. They had kept their distance well into the forest as the soldiers had explored the town but it had been quiet ever since they had made their way backto their post. Sam stayed behind to check the area anyway and compare notes on the odd new tactics coming from the Ori, post-Adria. Daniel radioed Cam and Teal'c with the news and was going to join them in their search of the dock but decided to go back to the underground room to pick up their gear first. If they had to make a quick getaway after Vala, no need to waste precious moments backtracking for leftover stuff.

The day was turning out to be one, big frustrating disappointment. They had been so close to finding Vala and she had slipped through their fingers again. There was no way the IOA was going to let them look for her much longer, not with the situation still very much a problem between them and the Ori galaxy. He was wondering if she would end up being lost from them forever, wandering the universe thinking they had given up on her in every way possible.

With his mood about as low as it could go, he certainly hadn't been prepared for what greeted him when he looked in from the passageway. Even with her back to him, the glow from the computer, and the light from the corner streaming in, there was no mistaking the woman standing across the room. He would know her anywhere; young, old, across the galaxy and across time. The words coming from the computer were also unmistakeable and familiar.

_'In a few hours, you won't remember any of this but you have a life and a home here. I know you're about to believe that me and the rest of the team are the scum of the earth. But I'm hoping that even out there, when you're all alone, some part of your mind will know the truth—that we're all family and we want you to find your way back home to us…to me. Even though it's just back to my dusty office and my grumpy disposition.'_

_'Daniel, I will always want to find my way back to you. Never forget that…even if I do.'_

When the recording ended, she stood there staring at the frozen image of her on the screen, looking relaxed and happy despite the dangerous mission she had agreed to. Her eyes were slightly averted towards beyond the camera to the man standing behind the device looking back at her just as adoringly. Standing here under these circumstances so many weeks later, he couldn't remember how he had restrained himself from taking her into his arms after that.

His attention was quickly brought back to the present when he heard the whine of a zat being charged and readied against him. Sure enough, although she hadn't turned from the computer, she had her gun expertly trained on him.

Daniel wasn't scared. They had been in this situation before and he knew that she wouldn't hurt him. Much.

Finally breaking the silence, Daniel spoke to the woman he had been searching and longing for in his heart for what seemed like eternity. "I've never forgotten, just like you said," Daniel pleaded. "Please say you'll come back to us. Come home to me, Vala."

She had heard Daniel sneak up behind her although she was sure that he hadn't known she would be there. She was in shock by what she had just seen which was almost unheard of for her. She had been to the ends of the galaxy and then some. There was very little that surprised her. But this? Could the last few weeks have been a fabrication in her mind? Or was it just another Tau'ri lie? They would certainly use any means to get her back to Earth and lock her away for the rest of her life.

She couldn't turn around fully. She didn't want to see him. She didn't want him looking at her with those deep, trusting eyes, imploring her to believe things that she never would have entertained before meeting him. He had this power over her that she used to love. She would reach for it and cherish it hoping that it would turn into something special for the both of them. Now it just felt like another weapon to use against her, especially now when she didn't know what to think.

But those words in the video seemed so familiar, like a deep dream buried inside her subconscious. Was it just that she wanted to believe it? She couldn't afford to be wrong. She couldn't afford to trust them again.

Daniel could see the panic and uncertainty rise in her and for a woman like Vala, that was a dangerous thing. She was standing right there in front him and he would not - could not - let her slip from his grasp. "Vala, everything you've believed for the last couple of weeks is just a fabrication. There's no imprisonment at Area 51. There's no betrayal at all. We've been looking for you to explain this since you didn't show up with Adria at the rendezvous point."

"Adria? I haven't seen her in months, not since your little extended vacation with her and the Ori." She turned around still not looking directly at him but carefully accessing whether the rest of SG-1 was with him and if she was going to have to fight her way out. If it was a choice between battling them or letting them take her back, she would do as much harm as she needed to in order to get away. She didn't want to hurt them, she just wanted to be away from them. Why couldn't he accept that?

"Things didn't go as planned and for that I am so sorry. You were certain that she would capture you at that first planet and bring you to the rendezvous point so that we could get you back. But something went wrong and the timing was off." He nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "It's a long story Vala, one that I would love to tell you when you're not pointing a gun at my chest."

Vala felt cornered and confused. Something seemed to stir in her head but she couldn't trust it. Just like she could no longer trust the man in front of her. She had to get out of there quick. She'd sort it out later. "Get out of my way Daniel. I don't want to hurt you."

"Then don't go! You shouldn't be out there alone anymore. You're past that. You've changed being with us." Vala shook her head and moved closer to the entrance, her zat still trained on him. "And I don't want to be alone anymore either." This stopped her in her tracks and she hazarded a quick glance into his intense, sincere eyes. "We all need you back. But I need you back most of all. Please, don't leave me again," he pleaded.

It was like she couldn't breathe. The look on his face, the desperation in his voice. She didn't know what to believe. She remembered clearly that they had betrayed her. But so much of it still didn't make any sense, it happened so fast. But this wasn't real. None of it was real.

Vala made a dash for the exit pushing Daniel aside before he could react. But Daniel was quick and pulled out his own zat intent on stopping her by whatever means necessary. He ran after her and before either could clearly comprehend what was happening the sound of a zat blast echoed in the passageway and then darkness.


	8. A Clouded Mind

**Chapter 8: A Clouded Mind**

Daniel grimaced as he opened an eye in the dim light. His head was pounding, his limbs were numb and his digits felt like sparks of electricity were still running through them.

_'Yep. Zat blast,' he thought._

He tried to remember the last thing he had been doing before blacking out and panic immediately overtook him at a mental image of a spooked Vala about to bolt out of the door. He shot up from the bed he had been reclining on and regretted the move almost instantly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Mitchell said walking over and pushing Daniel back against the pillows. "Where do you think you're going?" Daniel looked around and recognized the familiar surroundings of the infirmary. So they were back on Earth at Stargate Command. What the hell had happened?

"Where is she," Daniel gritted between teeth clenched in pain. He shook his head trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind for any details of what might have transpired before he blacked out. Obviously she had shot him. He was careless to underestimate what she was capable of. He thought he could talk her down again, like he had done when she lost her memory. Had this mistake cost him everything?

"She was right there in front of me. She was confused and scared and totally pissed off, but she was right there," he explained despondently. Mitchell had waived Dr. Lam over indicating that Daniel was awake and talking. After she had rushed over, Daniel tried to distract himself from his mounting despair by concentrating on her routine movements.

Mitchell looked over his shoulder as Sam entered the room with Teal'c following close behind. She put a soothing hand on Daniel's shoulder which he ignored, not wanting to be comforted at the moment. He had failed Vala yet again. He was at a loss about how he was going to get through this.

Sam pulled back slightly but remained at his side once Dr. Lam finished with her examination and nodded that he was, at present, strong enough for conversation. She opened her mouth explain but Daniel quickly cut her off.

"Not right now, Sam. I need a moment … just a little time to …." He couldn't even finish the thought so overcome with sadness at losing Vala when she had been almost within reach.

"Daniel, listen," she said interrupting his downward spiral. "We got her. She's in the secured section down the hall with guards posted both inside and out and video monitoring her every movement, not that there's much to see at the moment. She was out for the entire transport and Dr. Lam has kept her sedated so that she can run some tests and figure out if there's been any ill effects from the memory device.

Daniel was stunned. Vala? Here? They had her? He glanced over to Mitchell who nodded and grinned stupidly, clearly happy and relieved that things had turned out the way they did. It had certainly been one hell of a day.

"How…?" For once in his life, Daniel was speechless. Teal'c, Mitchell and Sam exchanged amused looks at his bewilderment; none of them could hide their excitement at getting their team member back. "The last thing I remember, she was running and I reached for my gun to stun her. And then nothing. She must have gotten me first. But then how did I catch her?

"Actually," Sam said, turning her attention back to her good friend. "You didn't get her at all. She knocked you out cold before you could even fire off a shot. I had come back to find you since you hadn't joined Teal'c and Cam. I heard you talking and I don't know who was getting the better of who but I wasn't going to take any chances. I'm glad I didn't."

Daniel let his head fall back roughly on the infirmary bed and let out a long breath of tension after Sam's explanation. The relief was almost overwhelming. She was back home and she was safe. Finally. "I need to see her," he said, trying to sit back up.

Dr. Lam was back by his side in a flash, pushing him back down. "I don't think so, Dr. Jackson. You hit the ground hard and your vitals haven't quite returned to where I'd like them to be. You'll stay in this bed until I'm satisfied. Vala's still sedated and will remain so for at least the next four to five hours. She'll keep and you can get some rest in the meantime."

"I just want to make sure she's really here," Daniel said quietly to no one in particular. Sam grabbed his hand and squeezed it before pulling out the laptop that had been tucked underneath her arm.

"I figured you'd say that so I brought something with me." She opened up the computer and set it on his lap so that he could have a clear view. She typed in a few commands and brought up the security feed from Vala's room as it was being monitored. Like she had said, there were two guards on the inside of the room trained on Vala's still form but if she was at all aware, she was doing a great job of faking it. She seemed as out of it as Dr. Lam had indicated.

"Is she okay?" Daniel asked, almost of if he wasn't prepared to hear the answer.

Dr. Lam sighed and glanced at the remaining members of SG-1 with trepidation. "Physically, she's fine. Obviously the stress of the last few weeks has taken it's toll. I've also detected signs of heightened alcohol toxicity which is troublesome given her natural high tolerance." It wasn't lost on anyone exactly what that had indicated. Vala, who despite her party-girl nature rarely drank to excess, had been hitting the bottle pretty hard. It was heartbreaking to them at how badly they had failed their friend.

"The good news is," Dr. Lam continued, "with a little rest and a consistent, healthy diet, she should be fine." This all sounded positive, so the three people listening to her report were confused by her somber tone. "However, despite all of this, we've got a serious problem."

* * *

_12 hours later_

Daniel stared down at his friend from the observation deck of the infirmary cell. It had been two hours since Vala had woken up, with him and Sam by her side. Dr. Lam thought it best not to overwhelm her and they had both insisted on being there for Vala as she worked through the confusion that would no doubt be a big part of her first few hours of awareness. Besides, Cam was quite aware of how pissed she was likely to be and had no desire to be anywhere in the vicinity. He and Teal'c instead chose to brief General Landry on the developments, including their latest run-in with the Ori. So Daniel and Sam had waited, watching her like she would slip through their fingers again without a trace. They could hardly believe that they had finally gotten her back and that soon she would open her eyes and make her first steps toward recovery. They were anxious for things to get back to normal.

However, that scenario didn't appear to be in Vala's plans. In the entire time since she had woken, she hadn't spoken a word.

She had been as groggy and disoriented as they had expected at first so they didn't push her to say anything or react to them right away. As they had waited for her to regain consciousness, they tried to put out of their minds how awful she looked. She was pale and wan, her usually rich, beautiful hair dull and in disarray. She had lost a considerable amount of weight as well.

When she had come out of it, she had no interest in even looking at them, much less hearing their attempts at explanations for a situation that she still couldn't reconcile in her mind.

Daniel was the first to leave in frustration, wanting so much to hold her and comfort her and not knowing what to do with the coldness he felt rolling off of her in angry waves. He had returned to his office to get some distance but everything in there reminded him of her. His desk was covered with maps and notes they had used to track her movements and he had intentionally left out little things that had comforted him in her absence - a hair clip, her favorite pen with the puffy adornment on the end, the half-empty pack of gum next to his computer. She was all around him, and she was so close yet he couldn't come close to reaching her.

He had finally returned to her, but this time staring at her from above. Sam had given up as well and Vala lay on her side away from the two guards still posted in her room. There was no sign of her trying to escape; what they could count on is that Vala didn't waste her time or energy fighting when she knew she was gotten. But you could practically see her wheels turning trying to process all that was happening to her.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to watch the video and have it all come rushing back to her; it was her plan after all. He and Sam would convince her that it had all been just a trick of the mind induced by the memory device and she would return to the fight as if nothing had happened. This prolonged anger and bitterness was not something he had planned for. And certainly the news from Dr. Lam hadn't been promising.

He sighed and put his hands in his pocket wondering what would be best for her. It had taken everything in him not to grab her and pull her into his arms when she had woken. It was difficult even now. He had spent weeks pining for her and thinking of various ways to tell her that he cared; that he loved her and didn't ever want to let her go again. But with the way things were now, she needed her space, especially from him. But he had to have faith that the healing would come eventually and maybe when things settled down, she would realize again what he had spent so many months fighting.

He took one last look at her lying on the infirmary bed seemingly unaware of his watching her. With a determined straightening of his shoulders, he turned and headed down the stairs to give it another try in what would probably be yet another difficult conservation of many difficult conversations with her.

* * *

When she heard the door slide open, Vala knew immediately that he had returned. Although she hadn't let on, she was sure that he had been watching her from the observation deck above this holding room off the infirmary. She had no interest in trying to escape; it would be a useless endeavor now that they had doubled the security on her. She might as well get used to it too because this was probably what the next 50 or 60 years would look like for her.

She had seen the little 'movie' they had insisted was from her and heard their explanations even if she hadn't responded to them. It all sounded completely wonko - another one of their Earth tricks to get her to break. They really didn't have a clue about who she was. She had endured worse than what they could throw at her and their little mind games were turning out to be child's play.

But even with her determination to not let her former friends get to her, the confusion remained. Her dreams of the last several weeks seemed to haunt her as well as her doubts about how she had come to be roaming the galaxy again on her own. It wasn't like SG-1 hadn't underestimated her intelligence before but their current excuses were rather fantastical, even for them. A memory device that altered her memories so that she could fool Adria? She hadn't even seen Adria, or any other Ori followers before today, thank the false gods for that. Now they were telling her that they had outsmarted Ba'al and captured the single most powerful person in two galaxies before losing her again? They were telling her that her daughter was dead, or at least gone if her ascension were to be believed? It seemed much more likely that their plans were really about scoffing at her and locking her up forever for knowing too much about them.

Still, when they had brought her some food an hour ago, she had sworn that the guard outside had been one of the men on Reynolds' team who had been killed because of her. And there was still the oddity of the way she had left, without her box and in one of the easiest getaways she'd executed in a very long time.

No. It was simply too preposterous. They were up to something and she'd be damned if she would hand anything over to them on a silver platter. They had betrayed her once when her guard was down. Never again.

All she had to do was avoid Daniel and those sympathetic, blue eyes that seemed to see right through her. He had looked desperate as he pleaded with her to believe the story that he and Sam had come up with. She simply kept telling herself that it was all an act.

"I know your'e awake, Vala," the object of her thoughts offered. He was keeping his distance, seemingly chastened by her earlier cold shoulder. "I just wanted you to know that I'm not going away until you believe that we would never give up on you."

Vala remained silent with her back to him. If he wanted to continue with that same song and dance, it was his prerogative. She was an expert at tuning out things that were unpleasant to her. If anything, being host to Qetesh was good for that.

"Look. I was hoping that this mission would turn out differently but I know I have to deal with the here and now. I'm just going to be straight with you because I know you won't stand for anything less. If we had found you when we picked up Adria, things would have been easy. We could have hooked you back up to the machine and fixed the changes that we made to your memories. It would have been like your time away had never happened."

Vala listened to his words but made no move to acknowledge him otherwise.

"But from what Dr. Lam tells us, because of your prolonged exposure to the false memories, they've become so integrated with your recent memories since being altered that it would be difficult, even dangerous, to try and reverse this process. The decision is yours of course if you want us to hook you up to the machine again but I'd be lying if I told you it was a good idea, no matter how much I want to take back the last few weeks."

From where she lay on the infirmary bed, Vala's entire body tensed with anger. "If any of you even think about touching me, I assure you that it'll get quite difficult, quite quickly." It was the first words she had said to any of them and her tone left no room for confusion at how dangerous she was at the moment.

Daniel almost took a step back, both in surprise at hearing her address him at all, but also at hearing the anger and hurt in her voice. She may deny it but he knew her better than anyone. If she had to keep her memories of their betrayal, it was going to be a long road to any kind of acceptance of the situation.

"We would never do something like that against your will. I know that's hard to believe right now but it's true. We want things back like they were before but not at the expense of your health." He sighed heavily and finally brought over a stool that he had used earlier in his vigil with her. "Vala, what do you need from us to convince you that we're telling the truth?"

"I don't need anything from you," she replied softly but firmly.

Daniel's frustration rose as he continued to stare at the back of her body. "There must be something! We'll bring in Reynolds' team so you can see that they're all alive and well. Nothing happened to them because that mission you remember never happened. I'll drag Woolsy in here myself to convince you that the IOA has no interest in locking you up if that's what it takes. General Landry's already been in here to talk with you with expected results I heard." He stood up from his stool and walked around to the other side of the bed so he could look at her in the face. "We can leave here right now to your quarters and you can see that we haven't touched a thing since you've been gone. We've been waiting and hoping for you to return to us and didn't even entertain the possibility of packing up any of your things. Everything is how you left it; your stupid Ebay tracker notebook, all your hair crap and makeup; your roller skates, your favorite mug, and that god-awful, ugly monkey thing that we won for you at that fair? It's all still there Vala! Would we do that if we tracked you across the galaxy to lock you up?"

She chanced a glance at him and saw that damned earnestness in his eyes. Why couldn't he leave her alone? She couldn't think with him so close like that, looking at her with such care and expectation. She had been through hell over the last few weeks - did he expect her to roll over and expose herself to them again? Couldn't he understand that it wasn't that easy anymore? In fact, it had never been that easy and if he cared about her the way he said he did, he should know that.

Daniel registered something from her, some emotion other than the anger and bitterness he had seen from her earlier. It seemed to indicate that he was getting to her on some level. He moved a few feet away to the foot of her bed and pulled the stool around to him before sitting down again.

"Actually, I lied a little about that last part." For the first time, she looked at him for more than a fleeting glance and he turned away blushing slightly red in the cheeks. "I took that monkey monstrosity. It's in my room next to the little plant that you bought me, the one that I'd have killed like a dozen times if you hadn't come in to water it and take care of it. It's still alive though. I made sure of that while you were gone."

He sat there silent for long moments, focused on his own thoughts. "I just wanted to be close to something that you loved and you were always so over the moon about that stupid thing." He paused again, not sure if he should reveal more of what life had been like for him while she was away. "I didn't touch your treasure box, the one that's under your bed? I know you told me it was okay but it didn't seem right. It would have been like giving up and I was never going to give up on you, Vala. I'd have searched the galaxy planet by planet to find you, protocol be damned."

Vala continued to look at him and at the various emotions playing across his face - affection, sadness and last of all, determination. "This is a lot to take in so I'm going to leave you to think about it. If you need anything, we'll be ready. It make take some time but we won't abandon you." He placed a brief and gentle hand on her foot lying closest to where he was sitting and covered tightly underneath the blanket. It was a familiar gesture as she often would plop down somewhere near him and hoist her legs onto his lap with a vibrant laugh. He'd usually make some show of being annoyed but in their more casual times, he'd make fun of her ridiculous, non-regulation socks or her wildly painted toes.

"I'll be here for you, Vala. Always." He then turned and left the room, watching as the two guards returned to their post just inside the door. Vala never turned around but instead lay just as still as when he had entered. This time, there were tears streaming from here eyes.


	9. Adjustments

**Chapter Nine: Adjustments**

Daniel strolled through the quiet, late-night hallways of the SGC, heading back to his office to try to get a little more work done before going to bed. He stepped into the elevator and a flash of dark hair caught his eye. He popped his head back out to look down the hall but to his disappointment, all he saw was the back of Dr. Shah making her way to the infirmary for her shift. He sighed and stepped back into the lift.

It had been three weeks since they'd gotten Vala back. While things were better than they had been when they had first found her, there was still a long way to go before the team recovered what they had lost (if they recovered it at all). Vala had finally accepted the truth - that the memories she believed had led her to leave Earth and Stargate Command were in fact part of an elaborate plan to trick Adria into retreat. As promised, Daniel, Sam, Teal'c and Cam had paraded out the evidence before her. Reynolds paid her a visit as did Woolsey. General Landry had taken time out of his schedule to have a long talk with her and assure her that she was welcome at the SGC and could take as much time as she needed to ease back into her routine. However, he was clear that she would not gain any liberties in the compound until she could assure him that she had accepted what had happened and was 100% committed to the goals and the mission of Earth and the Stargate Program.

Her poker buddies, one of whom had supposedly been injured in Reynolds' mission, had visited her while she was confined to quarters to help with her boredom. Daniel tried not to be bitter that she had welcomed them with a lot more enthusiasm than she had welcomed any one of her teammates, although her guard was quite clearly still up. Sam reminded him numerous times that Vala's carrying around that hurt over their supposed betrayal was a good thing. It indicated how much she had cared about them. She assured him that they would get there again, he just had to be patient.

Following Dr. Lam's advice, she had chosen not to attempt the removal of the false memories, which meant that she had to learn to live with the emotions that the fabrication had generated. It was almost like being back to square one with her where she hid her mistrust with flirtation and innuendo. But this time, it was colder, less playful. It was hard to think about and even harder to be around. Even with the passage of a couple of weeks, it was painful to see the confusion that sometimes marred her interactions even if she was making progress.

Daniel wanted to believe that she would stay on Earth but he had to admit that he was becoming more and more skeptical. And even if she did stay, would she even want to re-join SG-1? Perhaps she'd rather have the distance - at least, that seemed to be what she wanted from him since they hadn't spoken more than a few words since he had pleaded with her in the infirmary. Then again, the opportunities hadn't been very numerous. It wasn't as if he'd been idly hanging around given all his missions to thwart the looming Ori threat.

Daniel entered his office and sat down heavily. He had just come from the mess hall hearing that Vala had taken to stopping by for bedtime snacks. He always hoped he'd chance an encounter with her but no such luck tonight, although he had ended up sharing a good sit down with Cam. Of all of them, Mitchell had spent the most time with Vala which kind of made sense. It's not that Cam and Vala weren't good friends it's more that their friendship was uncomplicated so it was probably a lot easier to test that rapport.

Him and Vala uncomplicated? Not so much.

Everything was as he'd left it so he turned back to cataloguing the backlog of artifacts that he needed to prepare for storage. Normally, Vala would be "helping" him in the way that only she could, both parts assisting and playing. But tonight was another reminder of the emptiness in his life without her.

He sat down at his desk and noticed a new message in his inbox, not completely unexpected but a little unusual for the hour. When he saw that it was from Vala, he froze. It was a surprising reaction really given that this is what he had been craving for weeks; for her to be able to reach out to him. There was fear though about what would be waiting for him from her? A humorous but impersonal forward; a goodbye message; an olive branch? He shook himself out of his shock and opened it.

_Daniel,_

Okay, so no "dearest Daniel," or "darling Daniel?" His heart sunk and he hadn't even gotten more than two words into it.

_Dr. Hutchinson thought it would be a good idea to write down the things that I want you to understand and since you know I've never been one for shyness, I thought I'd share this with you in the hopes that it'll make things better for one or both of us. I've had a lot of time to think since I've been back and I want you to know that I believe what you and Sam have been telling me, all of it. I chose not to use that memory device again because, well, it's caused enough trouble, don't you think? But I still dream. And now, as it was while I was gone, I see the things that you both have told me. I remember making that recording and promising you that I'd always come home no matter what. _

_Remember when I first found you again after the Prometheus with that Ancient tablet in hand? You asked me why I didn't just come to Earth and look for the treasure myself. __I needed your help because although it was all laid out in front of me, I required your expertise and patience to understand it. _

'Reading it is one thing, understanding it is another,' Daniel recalled to himself.

_I feel like that now, believing everything you and Sam and Cam have told me about what happened here six weeks ago but not being able to truly comprehend it in my heart. I know I haven't made things easy for you, any of you, but I hope that maybe you can be my guide once again. I'll even promise no tricks this time._

Daniel, grinned, thinking about the insanity of their time together back then. At this point, he'd welcome any of her old tricks with open arms as long as he got to be in her life once again.

_This experience is one of the hardest I've been through since becoming free of Qetesh. I'm a survivor, Daniel, and have been so for as long as I can remember. I've always prided myself on my instincts but this situation has gotten me all turned askew. I think I know what you all want from me but I also think that disappearing the way I did might have a lot to do with how you might be reacting. I just want you to know that I'm not going anywhere, not yet. But it's going to take some time. Being on Earth was the first time since I was a little girl that I remember feeling safe and normal with people who I thought cared about me. I know logically that you all still do care for me. But in my heart, there's still that irrational doubt that festered inside of me those weeks that I was on the run. It's not something I can wipe away like that memory machine was supposed to do. _

_So be patient with me. Let me go at my own pace. I want to be here, I do. I've told Cam and General Landry as much. I want to continue with SG-1 eventually or any other team where I'm needed if it's not too strange for everyone. I know there's still a lot for us to do with the Ori and maybe Adria still out there somewhere and I want to do my part given how this all started. And I can't be of any help sulking in my room, licking my wounds over something that didn't even happen. _

_Cam tells me that you never gave up, none of you did. Thank you for that. Maybe your faith can take you a little further while I mend myself and find a place here again amongst my true friends. We haven't had a chance to talk or anything but I guess I just wanted you to know that I'm trying. _

_~Vala~_

He was stricken; and he was touched and moved and terrified. He was hopeful and not for the potential for love but for the potential of regaining her trust and friendship. After reading her letter, he thought her amazing and brave and worth all the patience in the world.

* * *

So that's how it began. They emailed each other or left notes or letters, Vala preferring the former, Daniel preferring the latter. Vala had really taken a liking to making video messages for him which Daniel wasn't ever going to complain about as he loved being able to see her so vibrant and alive once again. She'd share something funny that she had read or an interesting piece of gossip spreading around the base; he'd write down the projects he was working on and hint at how much more fun it would be if she were around to bug him. Maybe Dr. Hutchinson really did know what he was talking about because the distance of it helped reestablish the intimacy that they had so cautiously built before. In fact, one exchange between them pointed out how even as difficult as things were between them, it was still amazing how far they had come since beating each other up or those days of literally being forcefully (for him) stuck together. When they finally had lunch together for the first time since she had been back, it didn't feel nearly as awkward as they feared.

She remained guarded, for sure, and there were times where they sensed her hesitation or caught a glimpse of her brief, haunted expressions in reaction to some unexpected stimuli. But over time, her barriers diminished until it was almost like nothing had ever changed. This time around, Daniel made time for her, ensuring that she got off base regularly and indulging her continuous badgering for him to have some fun for once in his life. She joked and sparred with Cam and pestered her 'Muscles' with numerous attempts to try his long patience. She and Sam shopped and gossiped even more lethally than ever. But she would never quite reach that level of carefree trust from before. And maybe it was a good thing because what they were building felt so much more solid and sure.

However, she never did return to SG-1. She helped out for special missions like meeting up with the dying Asgard or the final battle in the Ori galaxy. She had even come along for kicks to see the extraction of the last Ba'al. But she didn't go off-world as much as she did with SG-1, preferring to keep her trips through the gate to a minimum for a while. It was like she needed to ground herself and the constant activity and exploration of the off-world teams didn't have the same appeal to her anymore. Besides, there was plenty she could do at Stargate Command, especially when Daniel wasn't available and when Sam had taken leave to Atlantis. The new routine felt right. It was the space and security Vala needed and Daniel would have been lying if he hadn't admitted to enjoying her being out of harm's way more often. True, he missed having her watch his back but he was willing to pay that price.

Besides, having two lovers on the same team was a little too weird, even for SG-1. That thought always elicited a satisfied grin from the both of them.

Their letters and lunches evolved into dinners and shared intimacies. And finally it led to revelations of passion and love. They kept surprisingly quiet about it at first. It was something that they both seemed to savor early on and they enjoyed exploring it without prying eyes and ears. It wasn't how either had thought of it being between them when they had their separate fantasies about each other but that's how life worked. It felt good to forge that new relationship on equal footing, both as unsure about navigating the new closeness as the other.

Eventually, all of these new memories of friendship and camaraderie were enough to dull the pain of Vala's time away for both her and the rest of her teammates. When she had been lying awake at night drinking and trying to fight off the memory-induced dreams and depression, she had thought she had nothing. But she had been so wrong. Across the galaxy, everyone she needed was just waiting for her to come home.

* * *

Author's Note: I know this is a lot more than the three chapters I thought would tie this up but that's how things have been shaking out. There's one more chapter after this and we'll be all done. Thanks for sticking around!


End file.
